Super Smash Brain Teasers
by Junior BLD
Summary: How do the Smashers get into these situations? And, more importantly, can they find a way out? Brain teasers that have been turned into stories featuring our favorite Smashers.
1. The Bridge

**A/N: I found a bunch of brain teasers on YouTube and decided to write a story about them. You can try to solve the brain teaser or just relax and enjoy the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

The bridge

Visiting that remote mountain laboratory wasn't one of Shulk's best ideas. Pulling the lever with the skull symbol just to see what it did probably wasn't so smart either. But, there was no time for regrets, because he, Cloud, Ike, and Olimar had to get away from a group of angry Redeads... fast.

The four Smashers had gotten a pretty good head start, and managed to make it outside the lab. Thunder rumbled in the night sky, and jagged lightning cut through the dark clouds overhead. Shulk and his companions made their way down the mountain, their shoes sloshing in the mud.

"Aren't you supposed to have visions about these things," Cloud demanded, his glowing blue eyes glaring at the Monado wielder.

"Personally, I thought the warning on the lever would have been enough…" Olimar reasoned.

"Just run!" Shulk retorted, leading the group on.

"Look!" Ike yelled over the wind. "There's a bridge up ahead!"

The group shuddered as they realized that their only escape from the clay zombies was an old rope bridge spanning across a massive gorge.

Shulk's hand flew to the Monado strapped to his back. Because of the increased speed the sword provided, he'd be able to run across the bridge in one minute.

Since Cloud's Limit Break was at full capacity, it would only take him two minutes to cross.

Ike was a little slower, and required five minutes.

Olimar, concerned for the safety of his Pikmin, would no doubt need about ten minutes to cross the bridge. After all, he didn't want any of them falling into the rushing river below.

Reluctantly, the four Smashers came to a stop when they reached the bridge. "How much time do we have?" Ike asked, breathing heavily and glancing over his shoulder.

"By my calculations," Olimar reported, "we have a little over seventeen minutes before the zombies reach us. We have to get everyone across by then."

Cloud stared out at the rickety bridge in front of him. "This thing's not gonna hold all of us," he said. "It'll probably support two of us at best."

"We're gonna need some light to cross," Ike pointed out. The old lantern he had grabbed on their way out was dimming, and would only illuminate a tiny area, not enough for Smashers to cross separately. They'd either have to hold the light or be right next to it.

The four companions quickly realized that there were no tricks that would save them here. They couldn't find an alternate way across the gorge. They couldn't use the bridge as a raft. And they definitely couldn't befriend the zombies.

"How are we all supposed to cross in time?" Shulk asked.

The Smashers put their heads together to think of a plan. Since only two of them could cross at a time and they'd have to make some return trips with the lantern, this wasn't going to be easy, especially with only seventeen minutes to act. One wrong move and they'd meet their doom on this bridge.

At first, no matter what they did, it seemed the Smashers would be a minute or two short of their goal, however, their case wasn't as hopeless as one might imagine.

It was Shulk who came up with the idea. "Okay, here's what we've got to do," he said, grabbing the lantern from Ike. "Cloud! Come with me."

The blonde soldier nodded and followed the seer onto the bridge.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Ike protested. "You'd better come back for us!"

"Of course we will!" Shulk called over his shoulder. "But in the meantime, you'll be safe there… at least until the Redeads show up."

"Oh, thanks!" Ike groaned sarcastically.

Shulk and Cloud stepped lightly. The wooden planks squeaked under their weight and the bridge wobbled, jostling them with every step, but it held. After two stressful minutes, Shulk having to slow down for Cloud, both swordsman made it safely across the gorge.

"What about the others?" Cloud inquired.

Shulk hefted the lantern. "I'll have to go back for them, but they'll be joining you soon. Wait here…. Speed!" A green energy formed around Shulk's boots and his body became much lighter. He dashed across the bridge once more, returning to Ike and Olimar one minute later.

"Now what?" Ike asked once Shulk had reached them. Already, three minutes had passed, leaving the remaining Smashers with fourteen.

Shulk thought for a moment, a frown etched on his face, then he tossed the lantern to Ike, who caught it in surprise. "Take Olimar and go!"

"Uh, okay," Ike agreed, and he and the space explorer stepped onto the bridge with the three Pikmin. Since the little plant creatures were much lighter than humans, they wouldn't weigh down the bridge.

Olimar went slowly, holding the ropes and muttering to himself. "What are Redeads even doing in E Gadd's lab, anyway? The professor always struck me as the kind to study ghosts, not zombies…"

"Beats me," Ike responded as they made slow progress across the gorge.

The lantern light faded from Shulk's vision with every step the duo took. Shulk stood in the darkness, feeling as if his heart was going to leap out of his chest at any moment. Now there was nothing to do but wait for his turn to cross the bridge to safety.

On the other side, Cloud folded his arms and scanned the immense blackness, waiting for some sign that the others were on their way. Time crawled along, and Cloud felt like he had been waiting for an eternity. He checked his phone again. "Come on. Only four minutes left…" he muttered under his breath.

"Hey!"

Cloud looked up with a start and saw the dim lantern light moving at a snail's pace towards him, Ike waving a hand to signal to him. "About time," he grumbled, the knot of uneasiness in his stomach loosening.

Ike and Olimar breathed a sigh of relief when they made it to safe ground, but they didn't have time to rest.

"I've gotta go back for Shulk," Cloud said, hurriedly snatching up the lantern. "Ike. Be ready to cut the ropes when we're across." Before the mercenary had time to nod, Cloud bolted out onto the bridge.

Meanwhile, Shulk's uneasiness grew with each passing minute. "They better not have left me behind," he murmured in the darkness. Then, he heard the sound of shuffling earth behind him. The Monado wielder turned sharply, and, in the distance, a Redead's battle cry pierced the night like a chilling scream.

Now, fifteen minutes had passed since the four of them arrived at the gorge, and Shulk knew that he only had another two minutes before the zombies reached him. The noises of the advancing Redeads did nothing to ease his nerves, and his face paled as panic clouded his mind. He gripped the handle of his sword for reassurance to try to calm himself.

"Shulk! Come on!"

Startled, Shulk turned to find Cloud running towards him, the lantern swinging from one hand, his Fusion Blade in the other. Shulk let out the breath he was holding and raced onto the bridge with the soldier. Two minutes later, they both had made it to the other side, their chests heaving.

"Ike! Now!" Cloud ordered once he and Shulk were on safe ground. The blonde soldier unleashed his blue Limit energy in a powerful combination of sword slashes, hacking at the ropes.

Ike swung Ragnell upwards, slicing through the remaining bridge supports, and with a loud crash, pieces of wood and rope tumbled into the gorge below, stopping the zombies' advance just in time.

Delighted and relieved at their successful escape, the four Smashers continued on, leaving the collapsed bridge and the monstrous Redeads far, far behind them.

 **A/N: What do you guys think? Too much story? Too much math? Please review! And feel free to see what else I've written!**


	2. The Counterfeit Coin

**A/N: Okay! Lots of you seem to like this story, so here's chapter two! This one has multiple outcomes, so I'm sorry if it's a little confusing. I tried to keep it interesting. Robin might have been a better choice for this situation, but I figured Marth would work just as well. Someone can be a swordsman and a good tactician, am I right?**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

The Counterfeit Coin

Marth was one of the greatest tacticians in all the realm, but ever since he criticized the kingdom's tax laws, he was locked in the dungeon with only a marker to count the days.

"That's five," Marth muttered, recapping his pen and sinking to his knees on the cold, stone floor. When was he going to get out of here? Part of him wanted to stand against his captors, but without his sword, any escape attempt on his own would prove fruitless. He knew that valiant warriors, like Robin, Corrin, and Lucina, would do everything in their power to free him, but seeing as there had been no sign of them for the past five days, Marth was beginning to doubt if they could break through the King's defenses.

That was okay, though. Marth wasn't especially keen on having to be rescued. He'd rather find his own way out. Unfortunately, there wasn't one at the moment, so for now, he had to cooperate with his captors or get into even worse trouble. He would, however, under no circumstances, take back what he said about the king's outrageous and completely unjust tax laws.

The swordsman's musings were interrupted by the loud bang of the dungeon door as a short, round creature dawning a dark blue cape and a metal faceplate entered the room.

"The king would like a word with you," Meta Knight said, and, his golden blade drawn, led Marth out of the dungeon.

King Dedede sat on his throne, looking angrier than usual. How this greedy tyrant became in charge of the entire Smash Kingdom Marth would never understand. The blue-haired swordsman stood and stared straight ahead, waiting for the giant penguin to speak.

The king was furious that the prisoner hadn't bowed to him, but he decided to let it slide, this time. After all, this man was one of the cleverest in the kingdom, and may prove to be some use to him. "All right, listen up!" King Dedede snapped, "One of my twelve governors has committed fraud and paid his taxes with a fake Smash Coin, which has already made its way into my treasury."

With taxes as high as fifty percent of the kingdom's income, was it any surprise that at least one or two people would try to get away with that? Marth didn't say that, of course, as recent circumstances told him that this may not be the best time. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and feigned surprise.

"Generous king that I am, I've decided to give you a chance at freedom."

"Have you?" Marth asked, keeping any form of emotion out of his voice.

"Yes," Dedede straightened up in his throne, which looked as if it took a lot of effort. "You must identify the fake coin. Perhaps now you'll learn some respect for my fine tax system."

Marth highly doubted that, but nodded, indicating that he was willing to complete the king's challenge. Before him was a table with twelve identical gold coins and a silver balance scale. He knew that the fake coin would be very slightly lighter or heavier than the rest.

But, the king was not a patient man, and explained to Marth in no uncertain terms that he'd only be allowed to use the scale three times before he was thrown back into the dungeon.

Marth looked around the room for anything else he could use, but found nothing. The only things in the room were the twelve Smash coins, the balance scale, and the marker he carried with him from his time in the dungeon.

The astute swordsman quickly set to work.

Since he could only get three uses out of the scale, he couldn't very well take each coin and weigh it against the rest. Marth ran his finger up and down the stack of gold coins, trying to think of a way to get the most out of his three weighings.

Meta Knight, the king's top lieutenant, watched with interest as Marth divided the coins into three equal piles of four. "Hm, what are you up to now?" he muttered, unbeknownst to anyone in the room.

The swordsman than placed two piles of four on the scale. To his astonishment, they both balanced. Was this some kind of a cruel joke the king would play on him to get his hopes up?

"These first eight are all real…" Marth murmured to himself. At that moment, a thought occurred to him. "How am I going to keep track of all this?"

Then he remembered his marker. He uncapped the pen and marked each of the eight real coins with a zero. "So far, so good…" Marth then gazed down at the four remaining coins, his sober expression reflected in the shiny plating of each one.

This gold should have been given to the people, not put away to tarnish in a safe somewhere. It belonged to Peach and the children at the orphanage, to Rosalina and her adopted star baby Luma, to Link and all the other hard working men trying to support their families, not to a pampered king and his spoiled governors whose only goal was to expand their castle and by more treasures that they didn't really need in the first place.

But, Marth was getting ahead of himself. He'd figure out how to help the people after he finished playing Dedede's ridiculous game.

Since all eight coins on the scale had balanced out, the swordsman took three of the coins marked with zeros off of the right side of the scale and replaced them with three unmarked coins.

The metal squeaked as the right side of the scale moved ever so slightly upward. "Hm," Marth chuckled to himself, as if he had expected this.

The tactician removed the three unmarked coins from the scale and marked them with minuses. One of them was the fake Smash Coin, lighter than the rest.

He marked the other remaining coin with a zero, confirming that it was real, and put it with its eight identicals off to one side.

After a glance up at King Dedede, Marth realized he didn't have much time left. He had already used the scale twice, and if he didn't identify the counterfeit by this next weighing, he'd be thrown back into the dungeon and he'd never be able to help the people, as he and the other warriors had been planning to do for months now.

"Just three left," he whispered, placing one minus coin on each side of the now empty scale. Heart pounding, he waited for the scale to move, but it didn't, confirming his estimate that both coins on the scale were real. Had the scale moved, the lighter side would have yielded the counterfeit, but it appeared this wasn't the case.

"Here's your fake Smash Coin," Marth declared triumphantly, holding up the remaining piece of currency.

The king raised an eyebrow and tightened his mouth with concern, and the sick, twisted feeling in Marth's stomach told him that the king wasn't satisfied just yet. "What if the coin was heavier?" he asked.

Marth tried to keep his impatience in check. "Then I would have marked the coins with plus signs and the heavier side would have had the fake coin, if it was put on the scale at all."

The king thought for a few moments, then, to Marth's relief, motioned for Meta Knight to escort the swordsman out of the castle, the counterfeiting governor Wario taking the swordsman's place in the dungeon.

After five days in the dark, the bright sun and blue sky were a welcome sight to Marth's eyes. He never thought he'd miss the songs of birds and the warm breeze on his face so much. It felt good to be back in the encampment with the other warriors again. After he had eaten and gotten a new change of clothes, his comrades demanded to hear everything that happened in Dedede's palace.

When they were all settled on the floor of one of their tents, Marth told them about his time in the dungeon, about the king's challenge, and how he solved it. Lucina smiled and nodded, hanging onto every word the swordsman spoke, her blue eyes shining with admiration.

Once Marth had explained about the coins and the scale, Robin nodded, then got a quizzical look on his face. "What if the scales hadn't balanced on the first weighing? What would you have done then?" he asked, his tone not so much challenging as it was curious.

Marth thought for a moment, twisting his pen between his fingers. "Well," he began, "You would mark the coins on the heavier side of the scale with plusses and the ones on the lighter side with minuses. The four coins off the scale would be marked with zeros…" He allowed himself more thinking time, glad this hadn't happened in the King's palace. He didn't think Dedede would be patient enough for him to figure out the solution.

"And then?" Robin pressed, his eyes twinkling.

"…Next, replace three plus coins with three minus coins, and put three zero coins where the minuses were… After that, there are three different ways this could go." He sat up straighter, trying to collect his thoughts. "If the previously heavy side remains heavy, then the remaining plus coin on that side is heavier, or the remaining minus coin on the other side is lighter. You'd have to weigh either one against one of the zero coins to determine which is true."

Marth's fellow warriors nodded, indicating they understood, so the swordsman continued. "If the heavier side becomes lighter after switching out the coins, one of the three minus coins you moved is the fake. You'd have to weigh two of them against each other. If they balance, the remaining minus coin is fake. If they don't, the lighter one is."

"This is confusing…" Corrin muttered, scratching his head.

"We're almost done," Marth reassured, facing his friends. "Finally, if the two sides balanced after being switched, then one of the three plus coins you moved would have to be the counterfeit. Weigh two of them against each other. If they balance, the remaining plus coin is the fake. If not, the heavier one is."

There was silence around the circle, then Marth's friends nodded approvingly at his findings, glad to have their friend and fellow warrior among them again.

"I can't believe you outsmarted that giant penguin with just a pen!" Lucina praised.

"Well," Robin chimed in, "Sometimes the marker is mightier than the sword."

Marth smiled. If only that were so when it came to changing the king's tax laws.

 **A/N: Whew! This was one of the harder ones I found. Thanks for sticking with this story! Also, Deathmaywrite is a writer on here who I've been messaging, and I wanted to thank him and all of you awesome people for your support!**


	3. The River Crossing

**A/N: Okay! We got through chapter two, which is probably the hardest teaser that I'll write. It was hard finding a way to explain that one. I don't think chapter three is nearly as difficult, though.**

 **I'd like to say thanks to Ecenema for the idea for this chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

The River Crossing

Red's heart hammered against his ribcage. He had to hurry to the Pokémon Center before it was too late. Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard followed behind him. For some reason, they had absolutely refused to return to their Pokeballs even though they were injured, proving even more stubborn than their trainer, if that was possible.

They had already been traveling a while, and were exhausted, but the shady trees overhead and the cool breeze allowed the trainer and his Pokémon a little comfort from the hot sun. Red heard the sound of running water in the distance and perked up. "Hey, guys! I bet the Pokémon Center's just across that river! We can make it if we hurry!"

Red traipsed through the thicket of trees separating him from the river, urging his Pokémon along, though they were plenty motivated to follow him.

However, when they reached the riverbank, Red's heart sank like a stone. The river was full of Carvanha, red and blue vicious fish Pokémon with yellow fins, razor-sharp teeth and pointy spines. "How are we gonna cross this?" he wondered to himself, gazing at the gurgling water as if it might attack him.

Squirtle couldn't swim across. The blue turtle would be no match for the savage Carvanha. Ivysaur's Vine Whip wouldn't extend to the other side of the riverbank, and even if it could, the blue plant dinosaur wouldn't be able to lift Charizard. The large, orange dragon couldn't fly across due to his injured wing.

There was no other way around the river, but thankfully, a boat guide saw Red's predicament and offered her vessel to help them cross. "You don't have to worry about the Carvanha chewing through this boat," She said, motioning to a smallish, steel motorboat downstream, "The S.S. Magneton emits a sonic wave through the water that confuses them. But, you can only take one Pokémon across at a time. Hope that's not a problem."

Red hesitated, glancing nervously back at his three companions. His Pokémon didn't exactly get along when he was gone, and he was pretty sure that their injuries wouldn't stop them from fighting one another.

Charizard always picked fights with Ivysaur in order to prove that fire was superior to plants.

Ivysaur and Squirtle fought because they were younger and still needed more training.

Charizard didn't dare attack Squirtle. One blast of water to the flame on his tail would make for disastrous results. Even though Squirtle's element was stronger, he was gentler, and didn't normally start anything with Charizard.

Since Red had to go with the guide to man the boat, he couldn't stay on the riverbank with his Pokémon. How was he going to get all three of them across the river without them fighting each other?

"You ready?" the guide asked, climbing aboard the S.S. Magneton. "Remember, only one Pokémon at a time."

"Yeah," Red reviewed his plan once more in his mind. He walked over to his three Pokémon. "Ivysaur, you're first." He helped the plant dinosaur into the boat with him and manned the controls with the guide.

For a fleeting moment, the trainer thought the Carvanha would attack, but then he heard a ringing in his ears and noticed that the boat emitted a faint hum. The savage fish didn't attack the boat, but they swam in a close circle around it, waiting for some unlucky passenger to fall into the water.

"All right," the guide said, brushing her red hair over her shoulder, "We've made it to the other side."

"That was quick." Red lifted Ivysaur out of the boat. "I'll be back soon with the other Pokémon," he reassured, and he and the guide traversed the river once again.

On the riverbank. Squirtle and Charizard were doing just fine, except for the fact that they needed medical attention from Red's previous gym battle. Red hefted Squirtle into the boat and they set off again across the river.

Again, the Carvanha didn't bother the three passengers as they crossed the water. Red plopped Squirtle down on the opposite shore. However, he couldn't leave his water and plant Pokémon alone together. "Ivysaur. Come on!" he said, holding out his arms for the plant dinosaur.

Ivysaur obeyed, and they all traveled across the river a third time.

The guide stared at Red, puzzled. "Isn't taking this one back across a little counterproductive?"

"Don't worry! I've got this all figured out!" Red assured. Now, Ivysaur and Squirtle wouldn't fight.

They landed on the riverbank, and Red set Ivysaur down on the grass to rest. "Charizard! Let's go!" The dragon raised its head and moved towards the ship. It was slow work, but they finally got the large dragon on the boat, though Red was a little unsure if the boat would hold its weight.

"It'll be fine," the guide promised, and they continued their voyage, which was becoming tiresome on both of them. The boat rocked back and forth, but didn't capsize, thankfully.

When they got Charizard across the river, the dragon roared and shot a burst of fire into the sky in victory. Knowing that Squirtle and Charizard would get along, Red and the guide made the trip one last time to pick up Ivysaur and bring him to the other side.

"Thanks so much for your help!" Red acknowledged once he and his three companions were safely across.

"No problem, the guide said, and traversed the Carvanha infested waters once more.

Red looked ahead and smiled. "There's the Pokémon Center," he said, pointing to the small blue and white building in the distance. With no other obstacles in his way, he would just make it in time.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading this chapter! Hopefully this one was easier to understand than the last one. Also, I'll be posting something every week now. Feel free to check out my other stories while you're here. Feedback would be appreciated.**


	4. The Passcode

**A/N: Parodies are so fun to write about! I probably should have mentioned this before, but most of these come from the YouTube channel Ted-Ed.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

The Passcode

In a world of utter chaos, a resistance group was humanity's last hope. Unfortunately, the group had been captured by Bowser, Ganondorf, and Mewtwo, the tyrannical overlords, and brought to the ancient Coliseum for their deadly entertainment.

Before they were thrown into the dungeon, Rosalina, Zelda, and Jigglypuff saw many numbered hallways leading outside, but each exit was blocked with electric barriers with a combination keypad.

Mewtwo had barely shut them in when Jigglypuff charged at the prison bars and dealt a series of rapid slaps to the cold metal, but to no avail. When the balloon Pokémon found that this was useless, she puffed up her cheeks and mustered her strength. "Jiggly-PUFF!"

A resounding clang echoed through the dark chamber as Jigglypuff's Pound connected with the prison door, but the bars remained sturdy and unyielding.

"Fight all you want! You'll never escape!" Mewtwo said telepathically, then left his captives.

Frustrated and disappointed in itself, the pink, round Pokémon turned and ran sobbing into Rosalina's arms.

"Oh, don't worry, Jigglypuff," Rosalina soothed. "It'll be all right." The cosmic traveler scooped up the Pokémon and it buried its face in the folds of her long, blue gown.

"We have to make it back to the others somehow," Zelda said. The rest of the resistance party was waiting for them, including the strong, brave hero that she was to marry someday. Many times, she had imagined ruling the kingdom with this valiant, faithful man by her side. Maybe, she hoped, they could even start a family someday.

That was a long way away, though, and right now, she couldn't allow herself to become lost in thoughts of a lovely future. She had to work on making those dreams a reality, for the world, and for her posterity.

Just then, the Hylian princess heard the rustling of tiny wings as a sparkling fairy emerged from the shadows.

"Navi!" Zelda exclaimed as the Kokiri guardian fairy fluttered up to the prisoners. She had never been so relieved to see that fairy in her life. "Did Link send you?"

"Yes!" Navi answered.

Rosalina looked up and Jigglypuff's round, blue eyes widened with surprise.

"How-?"

"Hey! Listen!" Navi interrupted Zelda's unformed question, "I came to bring important news. The overlords plan to give one of you the chance to escape if you can complete a challenge. The other two will be thrown into the Pit of 100 Trials the next day." Zelda gasped with disbelief, but, the little fairy plowed on. "Link told me to give this to you, too!"

Navi fluttered forward and dropped a glowing, blue stone about the size of a fist into Zelda's lap, but before the princess could protest, they heard footsteps coming for them. The fairy darted away and dimmed her glow before she could be seen by the approaching overlord.

The three prisoners only had seconds before their captors would be upon them, no doubt coming for their challenger. But what was the task? And who would be right to fulfill it? For a moment, they locked eyes, making a quick, unanimous decision. With her perfect logic and reasoning, Zelda was the obvious choice.

The Hylian quickly handed Link's blue stone to Rosalina and clenched a fist around the one concealed safely in a hidden pocket of her pink gown. Now Rosalina and Jigglypuff could listen along once she left.

Immediately, the prison door burst open and Ganondorf entered the room. He spoke slowly and calmly, but his voice sent shivers down Zelda's spine. "One of you, come with me now."

Zelda stood, and stared the Gerudo in the face. A mixture of fury and determination bubbled up inside her, but she was able to master herself.

Two Moblins grabbed Zelda's wrists and followed the King of Darkness, their shields and armor clanking as they walked. Rosalina and Jigglypuff listened to the echo of Zelda's footsteps a she was led away down one of the hallways.

Ganondorf informed Zelda that she had to enter a code consisting of three positive, whole numbers in ascending order, meaning the second number was greater than or equal to the first, and the third was greater than or equal to the second. "You may ask for up to three clues, but if you guess wrong or say anything else, you'll be thrown back into the dungeon."

For the first clue, Ganondorf said that the product of the three numbers was 36.

When Zelda asked for the second clue, he told her that the sum of the numbers was the same as the number of the hallway she entered.

There was a long silence in the dungeon. Rosalina and Jigglypuff were sure Zelda remembered the hallway number, but there was no way for them to know it, and she couldn't say it out loud.

If Zelda could have entered the code, she would have, but she raised three fingers to ask for the third clue, and Ganondorf announced that the largest number only appeared once in the combination. Seconds ticked by, and the gears turned wildly in Zelda's head. Then, with unwavering confidence, she pressed three buttons on the keypad.

Moments later, the buzz of the electric barrier stopped for a few seconds, and Jigglypuff and Rosalina realized, with great joy, that Zelda had escaped. Unfortunately, some powerful magic was interfering with the blue gossip stone, so that's all the information the two prisoners got. Could they figure out the combination to join Zelda outside?

"I'm worried," Rosalina said, "We don't know the number of the hallway that Zelda entered."

"Jiggly-Jiggly-puff!" the Pokémon plopped down beside the cosmic traveler, eager to crack this code.

"I guess we'll have to start at the beginning…" Rosalina sighed. She wasn't very good at these kinds of things, and her confidence waned further when she thought about her little Luma. She knew the star child was safe with the resistance, but couldn't stem her worry.

Just then, Navi flew out of her hiding place once more. "I heard everything. I'm here to help!"

Rosalina sighed with relief. The more help, the better.

"Okay," Navi said, "we need to find a combination of numbers whose product is 36."

Rosalina tapped her chin in thought. "There are a lot of possibilities," she observed.

"Yes! Eight!" Navi confirmed. "One of these must be right!"

"But, which one?"

"Puff! Jig-Jiggly!"

"Jigglypuff's right," Rosalina agreed, "We should move on to the second clue."

"But, we don't know the hallway number," the fairy pointed out, mentally face-palming herself for not following Zelda when she was led away so she could count the exits, or better yet, learn the passcode.

"We'll have to try, anyway," Rosalina said.

The low hum of the electric barriers buzzed in their ears as the three freedom-fighters silently put their math skills to work.

"Wait! That's it!" Navi exclaimed, flitting around with excitement. Rosalina and Jigglypuff looked up at her. "Only two of these sums match! The rest are unique!"

"Yes, and?"

"Don't you see?" Navi asked, "If the hallway number matched any of those unique ones, Zelda would have known the passcode right then and there without asking for the third clue! But since she did ask, the hallway number has to be the only sum that appeared more than once!"

Rosalina thought for a few seconds, then perked up. "13!"

"Right!" Navi cried, "So, the code can be one of two possibilities: 1, 6, 6, or 2, 2, 9!"

"Jiggly?" Jigglypuff gazed at the fairy, its large eyes full of confusion.

"This is where the third clue comes in!" Navi explained, "The largest number must be unique!"

Jigglypuff and Rosalina gazed at each other and nodded, knowing they had their answer.

When night fell, Rosalina used her concealed wand to pick the lock of their prison, Jigglypuff sang the guards to sleep, and Navi lit the way and served as their lookout. They stopped in front of the electric barrier blocking the exit.

Timidly, Rosalina stepped up to the doorway and entered 2, 2, 9 on the keypad. At once, the glowing barrier vanished, its power shut down.

The freedom-fighters escaped down hallway 13 and rejoined Zelda and the others on the outside.

"You made it!" Zelda exclaimed, leaning on the arm of her green-clad hero. Pikachu scurried up to Jigglypuff, and Luigi reunited Rosalina with her Luma.

They had freed themselves with math and logic, and now, it was time to free the rest of the world.

 **A/N: Hope you liked this one!**


	5. The Prisoner Helmets

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy this one!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

The Prisoner Helmets

Samus and nine others were relaxing after a long day of battles, when they were suddenly captured by super intelligent Metroid overlords. The aliens were dying to drain their energy, but their civilization had recently forbidden draining highly logical and cooperative life-forms. Unfortunately, they weren't sure if the Smashers qualified, so they decided to give them all a test.

However, the Metroids hadn't exactly come up with a suitable challenge yet, and the Smashers waited with anxious anticipation, not to mention dread. Samus took a deep breath and exhaled. They just loved making her angry, didn't they?

Squinting against the florescent, blue light, the bounty hunter looked around the metal chamber in the spaceship, seeing what, or rather who, she had to work with.

Luigi was huddled up in a corner, his hands slapped over his eyes. Zelda and Peach sat against one wall, the latter looking bored, as if being kidnapped was a regular occurrence, which it was. Kirby, Mega-Man, and Toon Link stood in the middle of the room, their eyes trained on the metal automatic door that was their only exit. Fox, Ness, and Olimar walked the length of the large chamber, running their fingers along the walls as if searching for a secret button or some other means of escape.

"You won't find a way out," Samus told them knowingly. One look at the interior of the room and she knew the Metroids had learned from their previous mistakes.

"Then what do we do?" Peach asked, looking up.

"We'll just have to see what they want," Samus said, her arms crossed. "It's not like we can fight them right now."

All of their weapons had been confiscated upon capture, and Ness, Zelda, and anyone else with magical abilities now sported metal wristbands, which prevented them from using their powers. Currently, their best bet was to cooperate with their captors, and that meant passing whatever test the Metroids had in store for them.

Minutes later, the metal doors slid open and a large, jellyfish-like creature glided in, hovering at eye level. Using a universal translator, the Metroid explained their situation. "You will be placed in a single-file line, facing forward, in size order, so that each of you can see everyone lined up ahead of you. You will not be able to look behind you or step out of line."

"What's the point of all this?" Fox interrupted, fists clenched, ready to go down fighting if he had to.

"I was getting to that," the Metroid answered, "Each of you will have either a black or a white helmet on your head, assigned randomly, and I won't tell you how many of each color there are."

Some of the younger Smashers perked up with interest, as if this were a game, while the adults just glared at the floating alien, trying to mask their confusion.

"When I say to begin, each of you must guess the color of your helmet, starting with the person in the back and moving up the line. And don't even try saying words other than 'black' or 'white', or signaling some other way, like Morse code, or volume. You'll all be drained immediately."

Zelda and a few others looked like their brains just crashed, but the Metroid kept going.

"If at least nine of you guess correctly, you'll all be spared. You have five minutes to discuss and come up with a plan, and then I'll line you up, assign your helmets, and we'll begin!"

Samus narrowed her eyes at the Metroid's retreating form, her jaw set with determination. Could she find a way to ensure that she and all of her friends were spared?

For a brief moment, Samus expected all chaos to break loose, but the imprisoned Smashers seemed to keep their fear in check. Then, she noticed that they were looking at her for direction. Of course. She knew the Metroids best, so everyone expected her to come up with the solution on how to beat them.

Since it was crucial to use every second they had, Samus addressed the gathering without hesitation. "Okay. We have to find a way to learn our helmet colors without breaking the Metroids' terms," She said, looking around the room for answers.

At first, no one spoke up. With the time constraint set upon them and the threat of having their energy absorbed, it was no wonder they had trouble concentrating. "Come on, guys!" Samus urged. "Look, there'll be no way for us to communicate when we're lined up, so we have to come up with a plan now."

"We can only say 'black' or 'white' when it's our turn to guess our helmet color, right?" Fox asked.

Samus nodded.

"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed, his eyes shining with inspiration, "Poyo poy poyo, poyo poy poyo!"

If only Samus could understand the little pink puffball. Communication seemed to be the main problem here. She tried to imagine how hard it must be to talk to people with such a limited selection of words, and how Kirby managed it. Then, it hit her. "Guys! Maybe we can use 'black' and 'white' as code words!"

"Yeah!" Toon Link shouted, but then his face fell. "For what?"

"Toon Link's right," Zelda affirmed, "we can't use those words to tell us how many of each color helmet there are. There are more than two possibilities."

Everyone became silent, and the small fire of hope that had ignited moments before slowly died. Samus was pretty sure that three minutes had already passed. She had to keep the ideas coming, otherwise their helmets would be replaced with Metroids. So, what piece of information had two outcomes?

Olimar was the one who came up with the solution. "Maybe 'black' and 'white' can tell us if there are an odd or even number of a certain color of helmets," the spaceman reasoned.

Samus considered this for a second. That seemed plausible, but only of everyone in the group could learn that information. Since she was the tallest of the group and would be guessing her helmet color first, it'd be up to her to relay the information to everyone else. "So, if I say 'black', that means there is an odd number of black helmets in front of me, got it?"

Everyone nodded uncertainly.

"And, if you say 'white', then there is an even number of black helmets," Luigi stated, stroking his mustache in thought.

"Right," Samus affirmed. The bounty hunter was about to say more when the metal doors slid open, signaling that their time was up. Too late to turn back now. She would just have to see how this played out, and plead with all her might that this worked.

"Times up!" The Smashers grimaced as their Metroid guard floated into the room. "Line up in order from shortest to tallest and face forward!"

Grudgingly, the Smashers did as they were told, and after a bit of bumping, pushing, and complaining, they had formed a neat line with Samus at the back. Then, one by one, they each received their helmets. Kirby's fell below his eyes, and Olimar's went on top of his space helmet. Samus felt the thud of the helmet on her head and her heart skipped a beat.

"Let's begin," the Metroid ordered.

Samus took a deep breath and counted the helmets ahead of her. She saw three black helmets in front of her. "Black," she said, informing everyone else that she saw an odd number of black helmets. She may have gotten her own helmet color wrong, but that was okay, since they only had to get nine guesses correct.

Peach was next in line. She also saw three black helmets, so she figured out that her own helmet was white.

Zelda looked ahead of her, and thought carefully. She now only saw two black helmets in the line of Smashers, and deduced that hers was one of the black helmets Samus and Peach saw.

Luigi, who was trembling like a leaf, heard this, and knew he should have been looking for an even number of black helmets since one was behind him. But, he only saw one, so he guessed, correctly, that his helmet was black also. "Phew!" he sighed with relief as the Metroid glided past him.

Fox, Toon Link, Ness, Mega-Man, and Olimar all knew to look for an odd number of black helmets. They all saw one dark helmet, so they instantly knew that their helmets were white.

It all came down to Kirby at the front of the line. Since the ninth prisoner saw an odd number of black helmets, that could only mean one thing. "Poyo!" Kirby cried triumphantly.

The Metroid ran Kirby's voice through his translator and frowned. He made a grinding noise if he were cringing, then voiced his verdict. "You're free to go," he grumbled, and removed the Smashers' helmets, and in some cases, their power-sapping wristbands.

After much cheering and high-fiving, Samus and her friends filed out of the room. It looked like the Metroids would have to go hungry, or find some less logical life-forms to abduct.

 **A/N: So, this one was a little difficult to write since I had trouble determining Smashers' heights. I couldn't see that well, so I took my best guess. Hopefully I wasn't too far off.**

 **Thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following! I appreciate it!**


	6. Three Golden Bananas

**A/N: A few things before we start. First, I'd like to thank MaxcyLeland for this idea.**

 **Second, I don't really know how to respond to guest reviews, so I guess I'll just do it here.**

 **(Guest) I will definitely try the balance scale with the seven Smashers thing once I figure out the solution, but I don't know if I'll be able to do cury's paradox because that's more of a visual thing and I don't see so well. I'll see what I can do, though. Thanks for sticking with this story!**

 **Okay! Here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy this one!**

Three Golden Bananas

Diddy Kong's lungs were on fire and his heart rampaged in his chest like Rambi the Rhino. He clutched the three glittering treasures close to his body, determined to keep them out of reach of the pursuing Kremling army.

King K. Rool wouldn't get his hands on these again. Diddy would make sure of that. But first, he had to get back to his friends. He knew he wouldn't reach true sanctuary until he made it to Donkey Kong's treehouse. But, he'd have to get there before dark, otherwise he'd have slightly more to worry about than the army of evil crocs.

The setting sun sank halfway below the mountains, turning the sky a fruity orange color. Diddy stopped for a second and checked his surroundings to be sure he wasn't lost.

Dense, green trees and twisty vines spread out all around him, and the air was comfortably cool in the shade. Large, plump bees buzzed overhead and big, blue Gnawty beavers chattered to one another in the tall grass. A crystal-clear waterfall glimmered gold in the dimming sunlight, and Diddy listened to the roar of the falls as he advanced nearer.

Diddy Kong jumped and swung from tree to tree, doing flips and handsprings, like a trapeze artist. Eventually, the young monkey came to a large rift in the landscape, giving way to the rushing river below. If he managed to cross this gap, the Kremlings would follow him no farther. The river's powerful currant would prove more than a match for them.

Panting with exhaustion, Diddy glanced around, looking for something he could use to clear the river. There were no vines for him to swing across, his jetpack was out of fuel, and he didn't have any more of those magic silver Crystal Coconuts from the Banana Fairies' cave. What was he going to do?

'There has to be something around here,' Diddy thought. Then, he spotted a fallen, green, tree branch that spanned the large abyss. Relieved, he hurried towards it.

But, the gnarled tree limb was pretty narrow, and looked like it would support only 10 pounds.

Diddy Kong weighed eight pounds, and each of his three Golden Bananas weighed one pound.

The branch would only be able to support him and two bananas, and he'd only have time to make one trip. The gap was too far to throw the bananas across, and there was no way Diddy would allow even one of his treasures to be reclaimed by the Kremlings. How could he pass over the tree branch with all three Golden Bananas?

Diddy's ears twitched when he heard the shuffling footsteps of green, scaly crocodile feet in the distance behind him. He wasn't about to lose his precious Golden Bananas to those fiends. The Kong was sure he could make it across the branch himself. After all, he had the balancing skills of a tightrope walker. But, he had to find a way to get his three Golden Bananas across with him.

Diddy began to grow uneasy, when a shrill, yet gentle, laugh snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see a tiny, yellow Banana Fairy fluttering near the tree limb he was to cross.

The fairy looped and summersaulted through the air, flecks of sparkly blue dust cascading from her yellow wings and drifting to the ground like snow. She hadn't noticed Diddy Kong gazing up at her. He watched as the fairy flew around and around, and wondered if there was some way to keep one of his bananas in the air as he crossed the narrow branch.

 _Snap! Snap!_ Diddy jumped at the sound of a Klap Trap's jaws. 'That sounded pretty close,' he thought to himself. He glanced over to where the Banana Fairy had been flittering about, but she was gone now. It was time for him to peel-out, too. Thankfully that circling fairy had given Diddy just the idea he needed.

The little monkey collected his three glittering bananas, took a deep breath, and began juggling in place for a few seconds. Still tossing the bananas, he stepped out onto the tree branch.

The limb bobbed up and down, groaning under Diddy's weight. He had to juggle fast to ensure that one banana was in the air at all times. This way, the branch would hold no more than ten pounds at any given moment and the monkey could complete the crossing.

"Hoo hoo!" Diddy cheered once he had landed in the grass on the other side of the land-break. The Kremlings snarled and snapped their jaws, quite upset that they had lost their prey.

Carrying all three Golden Bananas, the little monkey swung through the trees, light as a feather and twice as happy. Now he just had to get home before dark.

 **A/N: I know there's not much dialogue in this piece, but I haven't quite gotten used to making animals talk in my stories. Actually, this is the first time I've written about animals as the main characters… I may have to try it more often.**

 **Thanks for reading! I appreciate it!**


	7. The Virus

**A/N: This next teaser is based on Ted-Ed's newest video that just came out a week ago. I just hope the writing is interesting. Anyway, here we go…**

The Virus

Shinra's research team had found the remains of the ancient Geostigma virus preserved in the permafrost of Midgar's wasteland, and isolated it for study. After a late night working, Cloud alone was put in charge of locking up, and that included a routine security check.

As the soldier patrolled the large building, however, an ominous feeling overshadowed him like a storm cloud. Maybe it was the Mako in Midgar's polluted air, but his senses were on high alert, and he couldn't shake the sense that something was about to go horribly wrong.

Cloud shook his head, trying to dismiss the restlessness inside his mind, the anxiety that had plagued him all day. "It's nothing…" he muttered. It had to be just a side effect from being overworked all the time. But, no matter how much he tried to convince himself, the sensation wouldn't leave him. He knew deep down that something wasn't right.

Cloud walked the silent halls of the Shinra lab, regarding the smallest noises as potential threats. It wasn't that he was afraid of them, it was just that in a multi-functioning research facility and power plant, there were many more hazards that one had to be aware of than if they were working somewhere else. Still, he shouldn't have felt this anxious. If something was going to happen, he wished it would hurry up already.

A few minutes later, the blonde soldier was checking the security system one last time, when the floor beneath him wobbled. Suddenly, the ground lurched forward, throwing him against a wall! "Why'd I have to be right?" Cloud groaned as he staggered to his feet.

The violent shaking increased drastically, and Cloud figured this was at least a 6.0 earthquake, which definitely qualified as bad. He gritted his teeth and threw himself against the nearest inner wall to ride it out.

The entire building lurched back and forth, like a car jolting repeatedly to a sudden stop. Cloud's body tensed with each motion, and his heart raced in his chest as shards of broken glass and dust rained down all around him. He crouched down and shielded his head with his arms, trying to make himself a smaller target for any falling debris, but that wasn't the only thing he had to worry about. A quick surge of static grabbed Cloud's attention, and the soldier's stomach tightened as the lights shut off, plunging him into total darkness.

Seconds passed in a flash, and just as Cloud was beginning to wonder if he'd make it out of this in one piece, the pitching motions decreased from violent lurches to mild tremors. Finally, the quaking stopped, and there was a complete calm. Cloud slowly let out the breath he was holding, but his body still trembled and his skin prickled with anxiety.

For a few minutes, Cloud remained still, waiting for the aftershock that didn't come. When he deemed it safe, he cautiously stood and looked around. Tiny fragments of glass and dust clung to his indigo uniform, but he didn't care. He had a job to do… again.

As if working late wasn't bad enough, Cloud now had to assess all the damage of the quake. There wouldn't be much, considering how well the Shinra building had been constructed. A few broken windows, maybe, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. However, the knots in Cloud's stomach tightened when he remembered Shinra's newest discovery. Geostigma was rumored to be contagious, and if something happened to the samples the research team had collected… well, better not to think about that. He'd just better be getting a decent pay raise for this.

But, as the emergency generators kicked in, the lights flickered on, and a 'code-red' security alert echoed through the facility. For a moment, Cloud wondered what was wrong, and then a blaring alarm confirmed his worst fears: All of the Geostigma sample vials had broken.

"You're kidding me," Cloud groaned, his voice laced with irritation. Heart pounding, the soldier bolted to the containment room, broken glass crunching under his boots. His heart sank when he received the diagnostics of the security scan the system ran.

The virus was contained within the confines of the research lab for now, but unless Cloud destroyed it, the vents would soon open, unleashing a deadly, airborne plague.

Even though he was merely a Shinra infantry man, Cloud was the only one in the entire facility, so stopping the virus was his responsibility, and his alone. Without hesitation, the soldier grabbed some protective gear and got ready to save the world.

The lab was a four-by-four compound of sixteen rooms with an entrance at the north-west corner and an exit at the southeast corner. Each room was connected to the adjacent ones by an airlock, and according to the readings on the security scan, the Geostigma virus was released into every room except the entrance.

To destroy it, Cloud would have to enter each contaminated room and activate its emergency self-destruct switch.

However, there was a catch: Since security was now on lockdown, once he entered a contaminated room, he wouldn't be able to exit without activating the switch, and once he did so, he wouldn't be able to go back into that room.

Eyes narrowed in concentration, Cloud began drawing out his route on a pad of paper. But, there was a problem. No matter what he did, it seemed he couldn't reach the exit without missing at least one room. How could Cloud destroy the virus in every contaminated room and survive to tell the story?

Cloud's hands trembled so badly that he could barely hold his pencil to map out his route. One wrong move would cost him his very life, and even if he did escape, he had to make sure the virus was completely destroyed, or all of Midgar would suffer.

It didn't matter how he did it. He just had to end up at the exit, otherwise he'd go down with the Shinra lab. However, after a few failed attempts on paper, Cloud began to think that his mission was impossible. His doubt increased further when he glimpsed the clock on the security device. The air vents would open in five minutes. There was no way he could come up with a suitable path on time.

Cloud clenched his teeth and balled his hands into fists. His eyes stung and his mouth ran dry. How could he have let this happen? He failed everyone. All those people living in Midgar, and the entire world, would suffer from Geostigma because of his inability to figure out a simple route!

It seemed like he was out of luck, until a blinking, green light caught his eye. He stared at the security scan readings, which were still on display, and new resolve sparked within him like fire. "Oh yeah…" he whispered, remembering what the security system informed him of earlier.

It was true that once Cloud activated the switch in a contaminated room, it would be destroyed, and he could never go back to it, but there was one room that hadn't been contaminated; the entrance. This meant that he could visit that room once without flipping the switch and return there once he destroyed either of the two adjacent rooms.

Cloud hurried to the entrance of the lab. He stopped in front of the large metal doors and took a calming breath. "One shot. Gotta make it count." He entered an access code on the keypad, and the metal doors slid open. There wasn't much inside, as these rooms served as holding areas for specimens that Shinra wished to study. But, there was a red switch on one wall of each room that would destroy the chamber should an emergency arise.

Cloud rushed into the first of the sixteen rooms, the only one that wasn't contaminated. From here, he had two options. He supposed either one of the adjacent rooms would do. Cloud eyed the lever for a moment, but knowing he shouldn't activate it yet, he opened the airlock and dashed into the next room.

The corner room was now contaminated due to the airlock opening, but that was okay. He could destroy the entrance on his second visit.

Once Cloud entered the second room, the airlock sealed, trapping him inside. The soldier immediately flipped the self-destruct switch, and the airlocks opened again, allowing him to exit. But, he couldn't continue forward, otherwise he'd miss his chance to destroy the entrance, which was now contaminated. Abruptly, Cloud turned and hurried back the way he came, the room exploding into dust and rubble behind him.

Next, Cloud blew the entrance. Since that room was a corner chamber, and the second room had already been destroyed, there was only one other room the soldier could escape to.

Now, Cloud had four options for possible routes through the lab. But, with only three minutes before the vents opened, he had to move fast. His route would prove most successful if he collapsed the rooms farthest from the exit first and made his way to the south-east corner.

The soldier entered room after room, decimating each one with a flip of a switch. His heart raced, and dust from the destroyed chambers infiltrated his lungs, making it difficult to breathe. "Gotta keep going," Cloud choked out, urging his legs forward.

Then, Cloud glimpsed the clock on the miniature security monitor displayed in each room, and his resolve nearly crumbled. Thirty seconds. The vents were about to open, and Cloud still had three more rooms to destroy.

Muscles aching, he burst into the next room. Without wasting a second, he activated the switch and exited. Moments later, the ground beneath him shook, and the room he had just evacuated became a pile of rubble and ash.

He charged through another airlock, and winced as the system reported his remaining time. Fifteen seconds. The soldier stormed over to the next switch and flipped it, then waited impatiently as security deactivated the locks to the last room.

Cloud didn't know how much time he had left, and he didn't care. He rammed his shoulder against the door and forced his way into the final room, the one with the exit. Though he hadn't been consciously counting, he somehow knew he had only five seconds left to flip the switch and get out of there.

With a flurry of movement too fast to track, Cloud rushed forward and slammed his fist on the lever, then bolted through the exit as the place crumbled and collapsed behind him.

His entire body trembled and his chest heaved with exhaustion, but Cloud had made it out of the lab. However, a more pressing question screamed in his mind. Had he defeated the virus? The utter silence in the building was almost too much to handle, but then the system's automatic voice spoke. "Crisis averted."

Cloud breathed a sigh of relief. He had single-handedly prevented an epidemic of apocalyptic proportions, but after such a stressful episode, the soldier decided he was done working for Shinra. He needed a break. Maybe he'd start up his own delivery service, or join that legendary fighting tournament he'd heard so much about.

 **A/N: Ah! I missed writing about my favorite blonde soldier! Lately, I've been giving other characters a chance in the spotlight, which is good, but I'm glad to be writing about Cloud again. Also, co-op adventures or solo quests? Which do you like better for this story?**


	8. The Shadow Queen's Palace

**A/N: All right! Sorry this one took a while. I've been working on other stories. Anyway, here we go!**

The Shadow Queen's Palace

They've found the hidden switches, evaded the secret traps, and now Robin's expedition finally stood at the heart of the Palace of Shadow buried deep under the lost city of Rogueport.

"This place is creepy," Lucina observed, shuddering as she looked around the room.

The large chamber was layered with dust, though flames still burned in the torches along the walls. The red carpet gave the room a regal feel, but the chilled air and dim light presented a feeling of eeriness and mystery, not to mention the eerie shadows that crawled along the walls in the firelight, as if they were something more than intangible dark shapes.

"Why are we even here?" Villager asked.

"I told you," Robin answered. "I wanted to study the palace of Shadow, and you can't learn nearly as much by looking at some picture book sin the library. The Shadow Queen still has nine-hundred ninety-nine years of slumber, so there should be nothing to fear."

Oh, how wrong he was.

"There it is," Mario said, waving a white-gloved hand at a large, stone box at the far end of the room. "The queen's resting place…"

Pit, Marth, Sonic and a few others inched closer to get a better look. They seemed intrigued by the room's regal, yet creepy, design and the ancient letters and symbols carved on the black, stone box.

Mario, however, had been reluctant to return to the palace, especially since he had beheld the Shadow Queen's terrible power first-hand, but Robin needed a guide, and Mario couldn't abandon a friend. He was just glad the Crystal Stars had sealed the queen away to sleep for another thousand years. What he hadn't expected was for the palace to have changed so much. Was it just him? Or had the puzzles gotten harder since last time?

Robin pulled out one of his books and cautiously bent down to examine some cryptic writing illuminated by his light magic tome. After all, it was good to learn a bit of history, especially when preparing for future battles.

But, as Robin studied the inscriptions in the near total darkness, two of the Smashers accompanying him bumped into the large box. Suddenly, two wisps of blue smoke burst forth, and the walls began to shake!

"Run!" Robin ordered, gathering up his things without a second thought.

He didn't have to tell them twice. The Smashers followed him out of the rumbling palace, stumbling over one another as they went.

Fleeing for their lives, they came to a room they had passed before, with five hallways, including the one to the Shadow Queen's chamber, and the one leading back outside. The giant sandglass in the middle was flowing with less than an hour before it emptied, and the rumbling told him that they didn't want to be around when that happened.

"Let's see…" Robin said. "From what I remember on my way here, it'll take about twenty minutes to get out of here… and that's if someone is running…"

"This is the last junction before the exit. We can make it!" Shulk stated.

"Not quite," Marth said, studying the walls with a grave expression. "All of our trail markings have been erased."

Robin grimaced. He had taken the time to mark their path with chalk dashes on the walls, but from what Marth said, it sounded like they had been wiped away. But by what? Mario said there was nothing stirring within the palace.

The tactician looked around the group. "Do any of you remember the way out?"

Everyone shifted uncomfortably and shook their heads. The rumbling in the room grew louder, and the shaking more violent.

"So then what do we do?" Roy asked, rubbing the dust from his eyes. He glanced at the hourglass and swallowed hard. The sand was falling pretty fast.

"…Okay," Robin said, nurturing a newly formed idea in his head. "If we split up, there should be enough time for each group to check a corridor and report back, then we can all make it out of this place."

To Robin's relief, the others nodded. But, there was one problem, one piece of information that Robin didn't dare reveal. The inscriptions told of the Shadow Queen's curse; the spirits of lost shadows possessing intruders and leading them to their doom through deception.

Remembering the blue smoke, Robin knew that two of the Smashers had been possessed, and at any time, one or both of them might lie, but they also might tell the truth.

Robin knew for sure that the curse didn't get him, but he didn't know which Smashers couldn't be trusted, and because the possessed Smashers would lie only occasionally, there was no guaranteed way to test them to know which were cursed.

Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about the possessed Smashers attacking or otherwise harming any of the others. Since the Shadow Queen was sleeping, her powers were far too weak for that. This curse would only affect their communication.

Robin scratched his head in thought. How could he ensure that everyone made it out to safety?

Robin looked around at his group. Since this expedition had been his idea in the first place, he was responsible for getting everyone out of the crumbling palace in one piece. If only he could come up with a plan that would foil the Shadow Queen's deception.

The grains of sand slipped one by one into the bottom of the hourglass, and time was growing short.

Since the curse hadn't touch Robin, he could travel down one of the hallways by himself. This left the matter of the eight other Smashers to consider. How would he divide them up?

"I can't send four of them down two of the hallways…" Robin muttered, tapping his chin in thought. "If one group came back split two on two, I wouldn't know who to trust…"

"Hey, Robin? What are you doing?" Villager asked nervously.

"Thinking of a way out," Sonic hissed, "so don't distract him!"

"I'm not distracting him! I'm just asking what he's doing!" Villager huffed.

"That's still distracting!" Sonic claimed, his voice rising with anger.

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

Robin clenched his fists, having endured about as much of the argument as he could take. "That's enough!" he yelled over both of them.

"He started it!" Sonic and villager chorused, pointing to one another.

"I don't care who started it!" Robin thundered over the loud quaking. He had learned that one good way to stop teens from fighting was to give them something to do, and trying to escape an ancient, evil palace was no different. "Instead of fighting, why not check the hall on the far left for an exit-!"

Even as Robin said this, his mind ignited with sparks of enlightenment like thunder magic. He considered the newly hatched plan briefly. "Yes…! You two do that, and… Mario, Shulk, Pit! You take the next hallway… Lucina, Marth, and Roy. You have the third route, and I'll check the last one!"

Everyone nodded and hurried down their respective hallways without a word. Robin glanced back at the giant hourglass, then plunged into the darkness of the fourth hallway, unsure of what he'd find.

He dashed down the dimly lit corridor, holding his light tome in one hand and his bronze sword in the other, all the while considering the possible outcomes of his plan. The possessed Smashers might lie, but then again, they might not, whereas the other six Smashers would always tell the truth.

When each group returned to the hourglass chamber, all of its members would either give the same report, or argue about whether they found the exit.

If a trio returned in total agreement, then Robin would know that none of them were lying.

With the duo, Robin couldn't be sure either way, but that didn't matter. All he needed was reliable evidence from three of the four paths, and he could figure out the rest through the process of elimination.

Of course, none of this mattered if Robin was lucky enough to find the exit himself. He jogged ahead, the flames in the torches crackling loudly in the darkness. Groaning, he pushed open the large, heavy doors at the back of the hall.

"No! A dead end!" Robin groaned as he skidded to a stop on the edge of a chasm with spikes below. Guess it was up to the others after all.

Breathless, Robin turned and hurried back through the hallway, different scenarios chasing each other around in his brain.

If each group gave a consistent answer, then everyone was telling the truth, or the possessed Smashers were paired together. "In that case, I just have to ignore the duo," Robin muttered, his heart pounding.

If only one group was arguing, then both of the other groups had to be telling the truth.

Lastly, if there were two conflicts, then the possessed Smashers were in separate groups, and he could safely trust the majority in both trios since two people in each would be truthful.

Robin burst into the hourglass room, winded, but triumphant. He had thought of every contingency, and felt mostly ready to test his theories. But, where were the others? With a twinge of fear, he glimpsed the hourglass. A meager pile of sand was all that was left, and their time was trickling away.

Just then, three pairs of footsteps thundered down the third corridor. Lucina! Did you find the way out?" Robin asked.

"No!" Lucina panted, brushing her blue hair out of her eyes. "Just loads of lava!" The other members of her group shook their heads as well. At least these three all agreed.

"Hm. I guess we'll have to wait for the others." Robin said.

Right on cue, footsteps thudded down the second hallway. Robin spun around to face Mario, Pit, and Shulk, who had just returned. "What did you find? Did you find an exit?"

"I don't know," Mario answered reluctantly.

Robin's heart nearly stopped. "You don't what?" he asked, staring daggers at the red plumber. How could he not know something so important?

"Well," Shulk said slowly, "there was a large set of doors that led into the city."

"It's not the regular entrance, but it did lead out of the palace..." Mario mused.

Robin narrowed his eyes. "Did you find the exit or not?" he asked impatiently.

Pit stepped forward. "I don't think so, but Mario thinks we found it…" he said, though he looked unsure of himself.

What was going on with them? Why wouldn't they get to the point already? Then he thought of something. There was more than one way to deceive someone. Mario and Shulk, or rather the Shadow Queen, was trying to confuse them until their time ran out!

Just then, the ground pitched forward, throwing everyone off balance. The mild rumbles turned into violent tremors. But, Robin had all his information, and finally, he could identify who was lying, and more importantly, the correct corridor. "Quick! Everyone! Down the last hallway!"

Robin and the others bolted for the exit, nearly plowing into Sonic and Villager on the way.

"Hey! We were coming-!" Villager started to explain.

"Not now! Just run!" Marth yelled.

By this time, sections of the ceiling were breaking loose, and falling debris barred their path, hindering their progress.

"Keep going! Just a bit farther!" Robin encouraged his team.

The Smashers rushed outside just as the palace collapsed behind them with a deafening crash. To his relief. A bluish vapor rose from two of the Smashers. They were all safe and free from the curse.

After that ordeal, the group deserved a vacation, and there just so happened to be another expedition coming up in Marmalade Valley.

 **A/N: Whew! This chapter was slightly harder to write. It was another one with multiple outcomes, and I had to watch the video a few times to make sure I got the information right. I also wanted to put another twist in the story aspect of things. Anyway, thanks for reading!**


	9. Blue Eyes

**A/N: This chapter was a collaboration with Oneonetwo. I hadn't originally planned on doing Ted-Ed's Green Eye puzzle, but Oneonetwo was a big help, and we did it!**

Blue Eyes

It was a sad day on Yoshi's Island. Bowser Jr. managed to take over the entire island by storm, capturing all of the Yoshis and holding them hostage.

"Yes! I finally rule this island!" he screamed in jubilation. "All of the Yoshis must bow down to me!" Hordes of Shy Guys, Goombas, and other assorted baddies began to round up all of the docile dinos, preparing to lock them in prison.

Being the young, pampered Koopa prince he was, Bowser Jr. wanted to play a sort of game with the Yoshis, so he made a strange rule.

"The Yoshis are allowed to approach the guards at night and ask to leave." Bowser Jr. said at a council with his generals. "If they have blue eyes, then they'll be released."

All of the leaders muttered and grumbled furiously, until the Koopa prince continued. "If they don't have blue eyes, they will be thrown into the Crumble Rock Rumble area of that giant volcano up there!"

"But sir," Tap-Tap the Golden, a giant golden spiky ball and general of the Spiny division, interrupted, "What if they really do have blue eyes? We'll be losing the prisoners we worked so hard to capture."

"Not to worry!" Bowser Jr. answered, grinning with pride. "Blue-eyed Yoshis are super rare! I doubt any of our prisoners have blue eyes!"

Salvo the Slime, another one of Bowser Jr.'s generals rolled forward. "Uh, Sir? Every single Yoshi on this island has blue eyes!"

"They don't know that!" Bowser Jr. pointed out, leaning back in his throne. "Our one hundred prisoners are still very young. They haven't learned their eye color yet, and there's no one else to tell them! Especially those annoying Smashers."

"They can find out!" Tap-Tap said. "Yoshis are pretty smart."

"Oh yeah…" The prince considered the situation for a moment. He wanted to make his father proud, but he couldn't do that if all the prisoners escaped. Then, his twisted brain conjured up an idea. "We need to find a way to make it so they can't see their reflections."

Kamek placed his hands on the table they were gathered around. "I have it! Here's what we'll do. Make sure there are no reflective surfaces in the prison. All food and water will be provided in opaque containers so the Yoshis can't glimpse their own eye color."

Bowser Jr. grinned. "I like that idea! Make it happen!"

The generals locked silent gazes, then nodded.

"Kamek," Bowser Jr. turned to the Magikoopa wizard. "I need you to cast a spell on the Yoshis to make sure they won't tell each other about their eye colors in any way."

Kamek raised an eyebrow in confusion. "But Your Grouchiness, that's a pretty specific spell. Would it not be easier to eliminate all forms of communication?" "

Bowser Jr.'s grin broadened. "Nope! I want the Yoshis to be able to say what a great ruler I'll be!"

Some of the generals shifted uncomfortably. "Things will be pretty quiet around here then," Kamek muttered.

Bowser Jr. glared at him and clenched his fists. "What was that?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Uh- I mean- As you wish, Your Harshness," Kamek hastily bowed, and, with a twirl of his wand, disappeared into thin air.

For weeks, all the Yoshis lived with hope that they could leave, but feared that they would meet a fiery end if they attempted it. They wouldn't try until they were absolutely sure they could.

Over time, the Smashers started to suspect something was amiss, and a few gathered outside the newly constructed island fortress.

"Bowser Junior, release those innocent Yoshis from tyranny!" Link shouted from outside the gate.

"Yeah! They don't deserve to live under your rule!" Zelda hollered, her voice amplified by a special magic.

Mr. Game & Watch screamed at the top of his lungs, but all that came out of his 2D mouth were a few shrill beeping noises.

Bowser Jr. heard the yelling and groaned. "They're going to stay out there until I do something, aren't they?" he asked begrudgingly.

Kamek nodded. "I'm afraid so."

"I have an idea." Bowser Jr. turned on his loudspeaker to communicate outside of the stronghold. "One of you may come in, but the rest have to stay out there."

Link, Zelda, and Mr. Game & Watch traded worried glances.

"Who's gonna go in?" Link asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Mr. Game & Watch shrugged and pointed at himself.

"I don't think that would be a good idea, considering you only talk in beeps."

The 2D man jumped up and down as if he were screaming and emitted a collection of shrill beeps, glaring in Link's direction.

"Woah, whoa, no need to say that!" Link turned to Zelda. "How about you do it, Princess?"

"Why can't you? Aren't you the Hero of Time?" Zelda scoffed, shoving the green-clad Hylian in the chest.

"Well, excuuuuuuse me, Princess!" Link shouted.

Bowser Jr. laughed, enjoying the entertainment on his doorstep. "They're wasting so much time arguing, they won't even remember why they've come!"

Unfortunately, the three Smashers overheard this as the Koopa prince hadn't turned off his loudspeaker.

"What are we doing?" Link asked, snapping back to business. "Zelda, you're the smartest. You should visit with the Yoshis."

Zelda nodded. Mr. Game & Watch was hesitant at first, but agreed as well.

"I'm coming in, Bowser Jr.!" Zelda declared.

Kamek sighed with exasperation and glared behind Bowser Jr.'s back. "Good job, Your Loudness," he muttered behind his hands, and used his magic to warp Zelda into the room.

A moment later, Zelda appeared in a flash of gold light, stunned at the sudden teleportation. "I could have used Farore's Wind to get here." she muttered.

"Hello, Princess of Hyrule. So, you want to talk to the Yoshis?"

Zelda wanted to blast Bowser's son with Din's Fire, but his adviser and generals were still in the room, so she played the part of an innocent princess. "Yes," Zelda answered calmly, though she couldn't mask the power in her voice.

"Ugh, fine! But, you can only make one statement, and you can't tell them any new information, or I'll throw you into the volcano, too. " Zelda nodded. "You have five minutes to think about what you will say to them."

Zelda took a deep breath and paced the secluded room, the generals eyeing her with suspicion. If she couldn't break either of those rules, how was she supposed to break the Yoshis out of this prison? What could she say without incurring Bowser Jr.'s wrath?

It wasn't fair. One statement to decide the fate of one hundred Yoshis. Zelda clenched a fist and pursed her lips. She had to get this just right so the Yoshis had the confidence to ask the guards to leave.

"Looks like the princess is having trouble," Salvo the Slime taunted.

Zelda's scowl deepened. Although she desperately wanted to retort, she held her silence. Retaliating against Bowser Jr. and the generals might result in an unwanted dip in the lava. Besides, she didn't want them to know she had a plan to ensure the Yoshis' escape.

"Are you ready yet?" Bowser Jr. asked, tapping his fingers together impatiently.

Zelda stepped towards him, and he led her to where the Yoshis were being held. She stepped out onto the overhead of the prison and looked down.

The Yoshis gazed up at the princess, their blue eyes blank and expressionless.

Zelda's heart ached for all the Yoshis that were trapped in Bowser Jr.'s tyrannical grasp. She hoped her voice would be the voice of deliverance they were waiting for.

For a moment, she stared defiantly into Bowser Jr.'s face, then, she took a deep breath and spoke into the microphone, her voice resonating with all the power of Din, the wisdom of Farore, and the love of Nayru.

"At least one of you has blue eyes."

The Yoshis looked at each other, and Zelda was sure she saw their eyes twinkle, though they hid it well from the ruler of the island.

At first, Bowser Jr. was angry. "You broke the rules! How dare you?! I should throw you into the volcano for this!"

Zelda rushed back into the room high above the prison and calmly explained herself. "But if all of them have blue eyes," she started, "Then they can clearly see each other and confirm that at least one of them has blue eyes."

Bowser Jr. wanted to protest, but found Zelda's logic held up. He pouted. "Fine!" He turned to Kamek. Just get her out of here," he grumbled.

Kamek nodded and waved his wand once again.

Meanwhile, Link and Mr. Game & Watch were playing a round of rock-paper-scissors to pass the time.

Link grinned smugly, anticipating victory, but Mr. Game & Watch beamed and said some things in his language of beeps.

"Ugh, how does paper beat rock? That makes no sense," Link complained.

Suddenly, Zelda appeared in front of them.

"Princess!" Link shouted, "I heard what you said. How is that going to let the Yoshis escape?"

Zelda beamed. "I'm sure you'll see in approximately one hundred days." she said. "Now let's go before Bowser's son changes his mind about throwing us in the volcano."

Not wanting to argue with that logic, the three Smashers left the island.

Back in the council room, Kamek worried. "Are you sure the Yoshis won't escape?" he asked.

"I'm super confident in it." Bowser Jr. beamed.

After one hundred days passed, however, Bowser Jr. woke up to find the prison deserted, all of the Yoshis having asked to leave the night before.

"Curse you Zelda!" he screamed, throwing one of his infamous temper tantrums and trashing everything in sight.

"Told you," Tap-Tap the Golden said, sighing to himself.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the three Smashers had heard news of the Yoshis' escape.

"You were right, Zelda!" Link exclaimed in disbelief.

Zelda smiled at her hero. "It just requires a little logic. Basically, since they knew at least one of them had blue eyes, and they could see everyone else had blue eyes, if no one had tried to escape after one hundred days had passed, they realized that they themselves had blue eyes."

"Oh, and then?"

Zelda shrugged. "Then they all asked to leave at once."

"Oh! So each of them learned their own eye color by watching the ninety-nine others!" Link exclaimed triumphantly. "And when the ninety-nine others didn't leave, each Yoshi guessed that they themselves were being watched, too, and were able to figure out that they had blue eyes!"

"Right."

"Zelda, that's genius!" Link said, hugging the princess.

"Link," Zelda giggled, "This isn't Breath of the Wild!"

Link nodded and let go. He was silent for a moment, then placed his finger to his chin in thought. "Couldn't you have told them that at least ninety-nine of them had blue eyes?" he asked. "It would have saved them ninety-nine days…"

Zelda smiled at her friend's smarts. "Yes, but I find that when it comes to evil dictators, it's better to get a good head-start."

 **A/N: So, here's the chapter! What do you think?**


	10. Three Airplanes

A/N: Thanks for waiting! Here's another Ted-Ed video inspired teaser! Wasn't sure which characters to pick for this one.

 **Three Planes**

 **Mii Brawler, despite his name, was a famous, eccentric scientist and adventurer embarking on a new challenge; flying around the world non-stop in a plane of his own design.**

 **The airport was abuzz with anticipation, and Brawler braced himself for what would be a momentous day in Mii-Topian history. Of course, he first had to pacify the reporters and photographers who peppered him with questions.**

 **"Brawler! Can you tell us a bit about your plane's design?" one reporter asked, holding a microphone up to the scientist.**

 **"Glad to!" Mii Brawler grinned. "My craft is able to travel consistently at the incredible speed of one degree longitude around the equator per minute. This means that my plane will take six hours to circle the world!"**

 **"Oooohhhh!" the crowd cried in unison as cameras clicked and flashed pictures of Brawler and his red and silver aircraft.**

 **"There's just one problem," Brawler said, recapturing everyone's attention. "My plane can only hold 180 kiloliters of fuel… only enough for half the trip."**

 **Screams of protest rose up from the crowd of Smashers and Miis. "He can't do it!" "What's he thinking?" "He's Crazy!"**

 **The reporter had to speak up to make herself heard. She leaned forward. "That's a pretty big risk to take," she said carefully. "I'm sure there are reasons for not including more fuel…" She arched her eyebrows as if to ask the scientist if that was the case.**

 **Brawler ran a gloved hand over his brown hair. "Well, let's be honest," he said, his grin never faltering. "I could have designed the plane to hold more fuel, but where's the fun in that? Instead, I've devised a slightly more elaborate solution. I've built three identical planes for this mission!"**

 **Just then, two more planes landed on the runway and came to a stop next to Brawler's craft. They had flown in so quickly that no one noticed them until their jet engines overpowered the noise from the crowd. As the audience snapped photos, he briefed them on a few more features his planes had.**

 **Each of the planes could turn on a dime, and transfer any amount of its fuel to any of the others in mid-air without slowing down, provided they were next to each other.**

 **"I'll pilot the first plane, while Mii Swordfighter and Mii Gunner will pilot each of the others!" Mii Brawler explained.**

 **There was a rustling of papers as the reporters documented this latest piece of information, then one of them pointed his pen at Brawler. "If I may ask… who's your sponsor for this experiment?"**

 **"The Flight Club," Brawler answered, furrowing his brow. "We're very lucky to have their support." When he said 'very lucky', he meant it with every fiber of his being.**

 **Only one airport, located on the equator, had given permission for the experiment, making it the starting point, the finish line, and the only spot where the planes could take off, land, and refuel on the ground.**

 **This bothered the two assistants, though Swordfighter and Gunner wouldn't let that show in front of a crowd of people. If something happened in the air, they couldn't make an emergency landing.**

 **"Well, unfortunately, that's all the time we've got!" Brawler informed, waving to the spectators. "Now, it's time to fly!"**

 **Satisfied with their information, the reporters and remaining crowd cheered, but one question lingered on their minds.**

 **How would the three planes coordinate so Brawler could fly continuously for the whole trip and achieve his dream without anyone running out of fuel and crashing?**

 **"You guys ready?" Brawler asked his two assistants.**

 **"Yeah," Swordfighter nodded.**

 **Gunner adjusted her helmet. "Let's do this!"**

 **The three of them boarded their respective planes, anticipating the six-hour journey ahead of them.**

 **According to Brawler's calculations, they'd be able to pull it off by a hair. He took a slow, deep breath and waited for the all-clear from the control tower.**

 **When they received the 'OK', all three planes took off at noon, flying west, each fully loaded with 180 kiloliters of fuel.**

 **Brawler loved the sense of adventure he felt when flying. He was about to do something that would change history. He looked out the window at the blue sky. Beautiful day for a daring voyage through the clouds.**

 **After forty-five minutes, they had made it one-eighth of the way around the planet, each plane's tank now at 135 kiloliters.**

 **Brawler's mouth tightened. Time for the next step of his plan. "Gunner!" he called over his radio. "You know what to do, right?"**

 **Static crackled as the reply came through. "Yep!" Gunner answered. "Preparing to transfer fuel!"**

 **Gunner maneuvered her yellow plane so it was right next to Brawler's, and transferred forty-five kiloliters of fuel to him. She then did the same thing to Swordfighter's plane, leaving herself with forty-five.**

 **"All right! Returning to the airport!" Gunner said, and used her remaining fuel to head back to base, Brawler and Swordfighter's planes shrinking into airborne specks behind her.**

 **Once Gunner landed, she exited the plane and headed for the lounge. She grabbed some chips and a soda and settled down for a well-deserved break.**

 **Brawler and Swordfighter continued flying next to one another, fully refueled. Brawler couldn't believe how well this was going. He gazed down at the buildings and forests beneath him, enjoying every second of the magical view below him.**

 **Another forty-five minutes passed, and they had completed one fourth of the journey. Brawler looked at his fuel gauge. He and Swordfighter were now both at 135 Kiloliters, and it was time for another transfer.**

 **"Ready for this?" Swordfighter asked, twisting her plane to align the fuel tank with Brawler's. She then transferred forty-five kiloliters of her gas to her superior's craft, leaving her with the ninety she needed to get back to the airport.**

 **Brawler waved as Swordfighter's plane turned in the air with ease and headed back to Flight Club.**

 **"Ah!" Brawler stretched his legs and put on his favorite album,** ** _Hits of Smash_** **, and prepared himself for the long stretch ahead of him.**

 **In the meantime, Gunner had been anxiously awaiting Swordfighter's return, her plane fully refueled and ready to go. "Hopefully neither of them crashes…" she said.**

 **Just then, a streak of blue shot across the sky and descended towards the airport. "Swordfighter!" Gunner cried, relieved.**

 **As soon as Swordfighter's plane touched down, Gunner took off, this time heading east. She had to find the professor's plane before he ran out of fuel. She didn't want to be responsible for what would happen if she should fail.**

 **Up in the skies, Brawler had just reached the halfway point. Good thing the plane had comfortable seating, otherwise his entire lower body would have been sore from sitting for so long. True to Swordfighter's design, it was as if he were sitting on a big, puffy cloud, like the ones outside the window. He'd definitely have to give her a raise.**

 **Brawler snapped pictures of a glistening ocean and islands as his plane zoomed over them. "Awesome! I made it three quarters of the way around the world and nothing bad happened!" he cried with jubilation.**

 **But, his joy was interrupted by his grumbling stomach. It was definitely time for a snack.**

 **He had just stuck a plastic spoon into a cup of peaches when an alarm blared on the control console. He straightened up, and gasped when he saw the little red light on the fuel gauge. He was on E!**

 **Brawler clenched his fists, nearly crushing the flimsy plastic cup in his hand. The plane waggled and sputtered in the sky from lack of power. His heart threw itself against his ribcage, as if demanding freedom from the plane that was about to crash. He needed help, and fast!**

 **"Brawler!"**

 **The professor jumped at the sound of his name on the radio. "Gunner? Where are you!" he asked, teeth clenched.**

 **"I'm right here!" Gunner's voice replied.**

 **Brawler looked out the window and gasped with relief. Gunner's plane rocketed towards him, like a shooting star delivering his heart's desire.**

 **"You're just in time!" Brawler cried as Gunner positioned her plane next to him. She had used half her tank getting here, but if they were lucky, they could make it to safety… that is, if Swordfighter arrived on time.**

 **Gunner transferred forty-five kiloliters of her remaining ninety to the professor. Unfortunately, this was only half of what they needed.**

 **But, that's exactly when Swordfighter took off, her plane's tank filled to the brim with precious fuel. "Brawler, Gunner… You guys better still be flying high…" she muttered as she navigated the clouds and air currents.**

 **Just as the other planes were about to run out of fuel, she met them at the 315 degree point, transferring forty-five kiloliters of fuel to each of them.**

 **This was the final stretch, and the three friends were determined to fly or fall together. Already, their engines showed signs of wavering, but the airport was a straight shot away, visible through the thin clouds below.**

 **"Come on! We've got to make it!" Brawler called over the radio as his plane shuddered, threatening to fall at any moment. Only a trickle of fuel was keeping him in the air.**

 **The three Miis' stomachs lurched as their planes dipped down, coming in for a hard, fast landing. Their wheels touched the runway just as their fuel gauges reached zero.**

 **Brawler, Swordfighter, and Gunner exited their planes and a wave of cheers and camera flashes greeted them as they ran out onto the runway, their faces glowing with excitement and triumph.**

 **Grinning from ear to ear, Brawler waved to the crowd of admirers and reporters. "Thanks for your support! I promise my new planes will be released to the public for commercial use as soon as possible!"**

 **Just as soon as they could figure out a way to keep their in-flight meals from spilling everywhere.**

 **A/N: Sorry about my absence. I've had schoolwork to complete! There's no telling when I'll be able to update my stories again... But, I will eventually.**


	11. The Fish

**A/N: Hi, guys! I know it's been a while since I've posted, but on the bright side, I'm done with school! Anyway, this next chapter is the fish riddle from Ted-Ed. GirlOnDarkerSide wrote a version of this riddle and she let me use hers as part of this one.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

The Fish

A strong wind blew over the Great Sea as, under its power, a large ship cut through the rolling waves. Toon Link and Tetra had agreed to transport several tanks containing the last specimens of a critically endangered fish species to a new aquarium.

Normally, Tetra could have cared less about a school of fish, but she was promised a handsome sum of rupees for her services, the thought of which made sailing with a group of Smashers and a bunch of glass tanks semi-worth-it.

Some of Tetra's passengers, however, weren't as thrilled to be on board, particularly a certain blue hedgehog.

"For the last time, why'd you have to bring me?" Sonic hissed, staring with trepidation at the choppy expanse of ocean that rocked the ship.

"You're the only one who knows how to work the sonar," Olimar replied, pointing to the handheld radar in Sonic's palm.

Greninja perched on the side of the boat, smelling the salty sea air. It loved the water, and unlike Sonic, it could swim. Maybe it would get the chance today. At least the water would drown out Sonic's complaining.

"Why do we even need the sonar, anyway?" Sonic spat.

"We need the radar to watch for Cyclos," Toon Link explained.

He and Tetra knew all too well how dangerous the seas were with Cyclos's winds around, especially since said deity made it his purpose to cause destruction and havoc wherever he went.

Sonic shuffled his feet and crossed his arms. "Still don't see why I had to come. Someone else could've done this…"

Tetra gave Sonic the evil eye. "We could just launch you off the boat right now," she said, "It's a long swim to the next island."

Sonic shut his mouth after that. Though the ocean had no trouble keeping the ship afloat, he had a sinking feeling it wouldn't hold him up should he fall into its depths.

Tetra smirked knowingly. "You wouldn't want to swim here, anyway. These are shark-infested waters." She narrowed her eyes. "So stop complaining and do your job!"

Sonic growled and looked away. He looked at the shifting clouds in the sky. He looked at Olimar's blue Pikmin, their leaves swaying in the warm breeze. He even looked down at the wooden deck of the ship.

He looked everywhere… except at the radar.

"Gre? Ninj?" Greninja winced, curling its toes tighter around the ledge it balanced on. It sniffed the air, which now smelled of rain rather than salt.

A slight darkness fell over them as a layer of grey clouds blocked out the sun. The wind picked up and the waves became rougher, but Tetra stayed calm. Her strong, sturdy boat could withstand an ordinary storm just fine.

But, Cyclos's storms were never ordinary.

Tetra's eyes widened as she saw the tornado on the horizon, rapidly approaching. She clenched a fist. "Sonic! You had one job!" she snarled, trying to steer the boat out of danger.

Toon Link leapt over a few panicked Pikmin and ran past with his bow. Rain stung his eyes as he scanned the horizon for the frog on a storm cloud that was Cyclos, but the ship was already in the wind deity's power.

A sheet of dark grey covered the sky accompanied by flashes of lightning. The wind howled, and the ship tilted to an alarming angle, as for one terrifying moment, the cyclone parted it from the water.

"Whoa!" Sonic exclaimed, slipping and sliding across the deck. The radar fell from Sonic's hands. "Can't lose that!" he cried, scooping up the device before it fell into the sea.

Shrill whistles punctuated the howling wind as Olimar gather his frightened Pikmin. He and Greninja fell over one another trying to reach the safety of the lower hold. Radar in hand, Sonic rushed after them, followed by a dripping Toon Link and an angry Tetra.

The cyclone spun and rocked the ship, throwing any lose objects -or people- against the walls or into the sea. Then, like an angry child, it tossed the boat away as if it was a toy. The ship landed in the water with a tremendous splash, and a powerful wave washed over the deck.

The Smashers waited safely below for the storm to pass, their hearts pounding in their ears in time with the raindrops on the roof. When all seemed quiet, Tetra reluctantly climbed up on deck to assess the damage.

Toon Link wiped his hands on his damp tunic, put away his bow, and sighed. His friends were safe, but he hoped the fish were as lucky.

He knew these fish well. They would pop up from the sea after he sprinkled some bait on the water, and they had generously marked up his sea charts, showing him new islands and telling him the secrets on each one.

It was his fault. If only he had been quicker, he could have stopped Cyclos before he got too close. And the fish… If anything happened to them…

Just then, Tetra poked her head through the hatch. "You guys better get up here. We've got a problem."

Warily, the Smashers followed her on deck. "What's wrong?" Toon Link asked, his stomach tying itself in knots.

"All the fish tanks have fallen overboard," Tetra said, not one to mince words. "They're gone."

Toon Link's eyes bulged and his jaw dropped. "They can't have!" he cried in disbelief. "We've gotta get them back!"

Tetra grimaced. She knew if they didn't find the fish tanks, she'd never get her rupees. But, though she'd never admit it, she actually still owed Toon Link a favor. After all, she hadn't quite repaid him for saving her when that giant bird dropped her in the middle of the forest.

"Okay. Does anyone remember how many tanks there were?"

Everyone shook their heads.

Tetra crossed her arms and paced the deck. "None of you remember?" she asked, a little unhelpfully.

Toon Link looked down into the sea. They had to know where the tanks were so they could send Greninja and the Pikmin in after them in one quick dive. Not a single fish could be lost.

Tetra stopped her pacing. "Okay… There are three areas where the tanks could have fallen. We'll have to start there."

Olimar stepped forward, wanting to do his part. "Well, I guess we'll need to scan the three sectors for life…" he muttered.

Sonic powered on the radar and waited for the thermal scan's results. "…Fifty organisms," he chirped, holding the radar out to show the life-forms in the ocean's depths. "That includes both our fish and the ravenous sharks."

"Greg re?"

"Right, Greninja… Guess it's time to use the sonar," Olimar replied.

Sonic nodded and flipped on the sonar.

The image for Sector Alpha showed four tanks and two sharks.

The image for Sector Beta showed two tanks and four sharks.

And the image for Sector Gamma… was blank.

"Aw, I think this thing's broken!" Sonic cried, shaking the handheld radar.

"Well great. We're stuck with that," Tetra muttered. She consulted the shipping notes from the aquarium, now slightly damp from the storm. "Says here that each tank had the same amount of fish, and there was anywhere from one to thirteen tanks on board."

"Anything else?" Olimar asked.

Tetra nodded. "There's a weird magical property about this area. No two sectors can have the same number of sharks, but every sector has at least one, and no more than seven."

"That'll make things harder or easier," Sonic commented.

Toon Link's mouth tightened. He knew the tanks wouldn't withstand the pressure much longer. But how many tanks were in Gamma? They had to hurry. The fate of an entire species depended on them.

Tetra looked down at the sea and grimaced as three fins cut through the waves. The fish from the Great Sea were tough, but the sharks were even tougher. If the sharks were circling, there wasn't much time to rescue the lost tanks.

"Well, kid. Looks like you're in charge here," Tetra said, eager to get her present crew working.

Toon Link's jaw dropped in surprise. "Me?" he spluttered.

"That's right," Tetra said, stepping back.

Sonic smirked. "But, lady, you're doing so well already!" he teased.

"I not about to do all the work!" Tetra retorted. She shot Toon Link a questioning glance.

Toon Link took a deep breath. "Okay," he said. Though he was nervous, he kinda liked being in charge of things. It gave him a feeling of responsibility that he found he loved.

"Well, um, first we have to find out how many tanks are in Gamma so we know how many we're looking for in total," Toon Link started. He put a finger to his chin. "The only question is how."

At first, it seemed like there were just too many pieces of missing information. After all, he didn't know how many fish or how many tanks there were in total, let alone how many fish were in each one.

"Ugh!" he moaned, holding his head in his hands. All this thinking was giving the boy a headache.

He tried to remember the little math that the Joy Pendant lady on Windfall Island had taught him. There was a specific way to deal with lots of numbers like this, but what was it?

 _Oh yeah! A table!_

Around the deck, Tetra and the other Smashers were trying to solve the problem in their own way.

"Okay, let's see here…" Olimar said, taking the radar from Sonic. "Since we already know there are thirteen tanks at most, and we already see six tanks in Alpha and Beta, there can be anywhere from six to thirteen total tanks."

"Right," Tetra agreed. "We also know that each sector has a different number of sharks, no more than seven. Alpha has two, and Beta has four, so there can only be one, three, five, six or seven sharks in Gamma."

"What about the number of endangered fish?" Sonic asked, curling and uncurling his fingers.

"Well, there are fifty organisms," Tetra explained, "and at least seven of them are sharks. That means there are… forty-three fish at most."

"And the more sharks there are in Gamma, the fewer fish there are to save, right?" Olimar asked.

Tetra nodded. "Right. All the tanks had the same number of fish."

Sonic frowned in confusion. "Why's that important?" he asked.

"Because," Olimar explained, "that means the total number of fish must be divisible by the total number of tanks."

"I got it!" Toon Link exclaimed, startling everyone. "There's only one answer that works! We had thirteen tanks with… three fish in each tank! And since there are six tanks in Alpha and Beta-!""

"Ooh," Sonic said. "That means there are seven tanks and-" he shuddered "-five sharks in Gamma."

"Yeah," Tetra folded her arms across her chest once more. "Now we just have to figure out who's going down for them."

"Oh. That's easy. Greninja and the blue Pikmin can swim," Olimar informed.

Tetra raised an eyebrow, wondering why no one bothered to tell her this before. "Well then…" She nodded to the Pikmin and Pokémon as if to say 'Get on with it'.

Greninja and the blue Pikmin jumped from the side of the ship and disappeared beneath the waves.

The Pikmin were all too eager to help. This was there element, and it was natural for them to act as life-guards, saving those who were in trouble in the water.

Greninja was somewhat happy to be in the water as well, though he hadn't imagined his swim time would involve dodging hungry sea creatures and rescuing an endangered species.

Sharks swarming around them, they quickly passed through the first two sectors and retrieved the last seven tanks in Sector Gamma.

Soon the blue Pikmin emerged, holding almost all the tanks. Greninja came up a few seconds later, carrying the last two.

Toon Link ran over. "All right! You've got 'em all!" he cried as the Pikmin and Greninja deposited the dripping tanks onto the deck. They didn't look cracked or damaged in any way, and all thirty-nine fish were safely inside.

The Smashers, under Tetra's strict instructions, spent the next few minutes securing and re-securing the tanks onto the boat. Then, they sailed for the new aquarium on Windfall Island.

"Not bad, huh? Got all of the tanks without losing any fish," Sonic said to the aquarium proprietor as they unloaded the cargo.

Tetra glared at the hedgehog for a moment, but her expression softened when the proprietor placed three silver rupees in her palm.

Toon Link stared through the glass at the fish, who were just grateful they weren't shark food. "Thanks, small fry!" they cried cheerfully.

He smiled. All in all, it was a pretty good day… unless you happened to be a hungry shark.

 **A/N: Well, that was fun, right? Again, sorry for the long wait. Thanks for reading!**


	12. Stones in a Bag

**A/N: I'd like to thank The Real Bakura for this idea, and Fairy Of The Lilly for inspiring the last scene. Enjoy!**

.

Stones in a Bag

When it rains, it pours. The entire village had suffered from the first storm of the season. Most wound up with mildly flooded cellars or broken shutters, but one small farm house on the outskirts of the village got the worst of it.

Luigi had gone out that morning to prepare for the harvest, only to find that his fields were completely flooded and all his crops drowned. What were once healthy stalks of wheat and corn the night before were now withered, soggy husks of dying vegetation.

"My prized Mushrooms!" Luigi moaned, falling to his knees.

The field that had once been teeming with red, blue, green, and pink mushrooms was now a wasteland of shriveled, soggy fungi, good for nothing, except maybe fire fuel.

Not only were they used for food on the farm, but Mushrooms were the heart of Luigi's income. If sauteed properly, they made delicious meals, earning the farmer a small sum of money from the village's restaurants. Dr. Mario also used the Life Shrooms Luigi grew to make medicine, but the restaurants and hospital could do without. Luigi and his family could not.

The other crops served as food and a monetary safety-net should the Mushrooms fail, but the storm had spared nothing on the farm.

Now Luigi had no means to raise money to buy food for his wife and daughter.

The farmer sighed. He'd better go inside and break the news to them before they saw the crop misfortune for themselves. He took a deep breath and slumped inside their little cottage.

"Breakfast, dear?" Peach's cheerful voice greeted as Luigi walked into the dining room.

The morning meal consisted of Cucco Eggs and Lon Lon Milk that Zelda had brought over from the dairy and bread that Peach baked herself. But, though his stomach was growling, his mind was too preoccupied to eat.

Luigi looked at the sparse selection of food, then stared sorrowfully at his worn, brown shoes. The family wouldn't even be able to afford eggs or milk soon. They didn't even have wheat to grind into flour for their bread anymore. How would they survive an entire winter? More importantly, how was he going to tell them?

"Father?" Rosalina, clever girl she was, saw right through Luigi's mask. "Is something wrong?" she asked, feeding the Luma in her lap a bit of bread from her plate.

Luigi winced as his wife and daughter stared at him, their eyes filled with worry. He took a shaky breath, and told them of the devastation that lay just beyond their window.

Peach and Rosalina had been so busy with morning preparations that they hadn't noticed, but when they looked out the window at the drowned, soggy fields, both of them got the shock of a lifetime.

"What are we going to do, Luigi?" Peach asked.

Luigi sighed. There was only one thing he could think of, but the very idea made him shudder. "I'll… I'll have to go ask Mayor Bowser for a loan."

Peach and Rosalina gasped in horror. "What?" they both cried, surprised he would even think such a thing.

"You can't ask that horrid man for money!" Peach said, slamming the serving spoon down on the table.

"Yes, father! There has to be another way!" Rosalina insisted.

Luigi shook his head. "There isn't," he said sadly, and before his family could object, he took one last quavering breath and headed out the door.

Mother and daughter stared at one another, their mouths agape. Now trembling, Luma nestled closer to his adopted mother. Rosalina cradled the little star child in her arms and excused herself from the table, having lost her appetite.

The girl went to her room and sat down on her bed, weighed down by the gravity of the situation.

She knew how much her family needed the money, but she feared the one who would potentially provide it. Bowser had only been Mayor for a few years. In fact, he wasn't much older than Rosalina. Even so, he had the village wrapped around his little finger, especially when money was concerned.

"Oh, Luma." She bowed her head with despair. "What if Father can't get a loan?"

The star child cooed mournfully, then he floated to the corner of the room and plunged head-first into the basket of Rosalina's needlepoint. He emerged, a pale blue hat askew on his head, and waved to get Rosalina's attention.

Rosalina's face brightened. The star did look a little silly. But then inspiration came to her. She tapped her chin in thought. "Good idea, Luma," she muttered, wondering why she hadn't thought of it sooner.

She jumped up from her bed and gathered up every piece of her best knitting. "I'll make sure Father gets all the money he can," she said.

Luma chirped excitedly, then shook off the blue hat and followed her out of the room.

After telling her mother where she was going, Rosalina carried her basket of knitted creations into the village square. Peddlers and merchants shouted out their wares, their calls punctured only by the clanging at the blacksmith's shop and creaking of wagon wheels as carts rode by.

Rosalina sat down at her usual place and arranged her selection of cloaks, hats, and a blanket or two out on the table in front of her. The sun was warm, the breeze was fresh, and the market was busy. It was a good day to sell.

But, after the first few hours when no one had bought anything, Rosalina became discouraged. She had to make at least a little money for her father. There was no telling what the mayor would demand in exchange for a loan, if he even signed it.

"Rosalina!"

A tall, blond boy hurried up to her table. His tattered clothes were covered in soot and ash from working at the blacksmith's, but his crimson eyes held an innocent, youthful charm to them.

Luma squeaked excitedly and flew forward, bumping affectionately against his arm.

"Hey there, little guy. How ya doin'?" the apprentice said, giving the star a quick squeeze.

Rosalina looked up. "Corrin!" she greeted. "It's always so good to see you!" But, then she noticed the look of urgency in his eyes. "What's the matter?"

Corrin patted Luma's head and let him hover again. "I heard what happened on the farm," he said to Rosalina. "Are you and your family all right?"

The farmer's daughter sighed. "Well, we will be if Father can get a loan, but…" Her voice trailed off and she fiddled with one of her knitted hats.

Corrin's mouth became a thin line and he fiddled with something in his pocket. "Um, actually… He's already signed for that…"

Rosalina gasped, and her heart did a flip inside her. "He got one?" she asked, jumping up from her seat. "That's wonderful!" She twirled around, and Luma flitted around her head, dancing with joy.

"No, it's not," Corrin said gravely, putting a stop to Rosalina's celebrating.

"What do you mean?" she asked, but then a horrible thought came to her, one that had been buried under all the jubilation. What did Father have to do in order to get Bowser to sign the loan?

Corrin took a deep breath. "Iggy and Lemmy came into the shop. Apparently, the mayor needed something fixed ASAP."

"Really? What?" Rosalina asked in spite of herself.

Corrin shrugged. "Probably one of his fancy gold plates or something. Cloud and Ike made them wait a while for it, though. They had more important things to fix, like tools and stuff."

"Mm-hm," Rosalina nodded, rather impressed at the blacksmiths' daring.

"I heard the mayor's servants talking," Corrin said. "Guess they thought no one could hear them. Anyway, they mentioned your father had asked for a loan, and and he got it, but... Oh, It's despicable! The mayor would only grant the loan in exchange for… for..." The boy clenched in his fists in anger, struggling to get the words out. "Rosalina. He wants you!"

"…What?" she asked, now thoroughly confused.

Corrin patiently explained again. "The mayor will only give your father a loan if you marry him."

Now Rosalina was furious. "Father would never let that happen!" she cried.

Corrin gripped the edge of the wooden table. "I… don't think he knows what he truly agreed to…"

The color drained from Rosalina's cheeks. She wouldn't put it past Mayor Bowser to slip a few hidden terms in a contract to get his selfish desires, even if it meant tearing a family apart. "No… No no no no no! This can't happen!" she whispered, shaking her head.

What would Father and Mother do without her? And Luma? She didn't want to imagine the cruel mayor Bowser becoming the father of her adopted star child! Corrin would make a much better father for Luma. Rosalina had always thought this, ever since they had found the star's spaceship crash-landed in the corn field.

"Oh, and there's more..."

Rosalina winced as Corrin's voice shattered her thoughts.

The blacksmith's apprentice leaned forward. "Here's the thing. The mayor plans to play a game with you tomorrow in front of the whole village."

"A game?" Rosalina asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the thought of her challenger.

Corrin nodded. "The mayor'll have two stones in a bag, and you're supposed to draw one." Rosalina waited for him to finish. "If you pick the white stone, your father gets the loan, and you'll be free… But if you pick the black one…"

He didn't have to finish the thought. Rosalina understood. She pursed her lips. "You mean I only have a fifty-percent chance to get this right?" she asked.

Corrin placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry," he said tenderly.

"It's all right," she said, even though it clearly wasn't. "I guess I should go home and see if Father's okay."

"Okay. I can walk you home if you want," Corrin offered. "Cloud and Ike aren't expecting me back at the forge for a while."

Rosalina took a moment to collect herself, then nodded gratefully. She gathered up Luma and all her knitting and slung her basket over her arm. Then, the two of them walked down the road towards her little farm house. Corrin was silent, but his presence was enough for Rosalina to keep it together.

They had just reached the last of the shops and were about to turn onto the path that led to Rosalina's home, when Corrin suddenly pulled her behind a watermelon cart. She was about to protest, when he put a finger to his lips for silence.

Rosalina saw the urgency in his eyes and she obeyed, wondering what the trouble was.

Presently, they heard wagon wheels on the path and boisterous laughter that could only belong to the mayor or one of his servants. They crouched down in order to stay out of sight. Luma let out a few frightened whimpers, but Corrin took the star child in his arms and gently bounced him on his knee to keep him quiet.

"Shh, Luma. It's all right," Rosalina soothed.

She peeked up above the fruit cart and saw Iggy and Lemmy Koopa, their voices carried on the wind. Her heart dropped into her stomach when she heard what they were talking about.

"Can you believe it? I knew Mayor Bowser was cruel, but yikes!" Lemmy said.

"Think Rosalina can win tomorrow?" Iggy asked. "If she picks the white stone, she gets it all."

The wagon drew closer and Rosalina saw Lemmy's twisted grin. "Not if there's no white stone for her to draw."

"Wait, there's not?" Iggy asked, almost as surprised as Rosalina felt.

"Nope! Bowser thought of everything! He's gonna put two black stones in the bag so Rosalina will have no chance to draw the white stone to win that loan!"

"Hey! Keep your voice down!" Iggy insisted. "You don't want the whole village to hear, do you?"

As the wagon shrank into the distance, Corrin squeezed Rosalina's arm. "I think its safe to go on now," he said.

They both got up, dusted themselves off, and headed for the farm house.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Corrin asked when they reached the door.

"I'll be fine," Rosalina said after a few deep breaths. "I'll figure this out."

"I know you will," Corrin said. They shared a quick embrace, then Corrin hurried away.

Rosalina went inside her little cottage, racking her brain for answers that seemed out of her reach. She had less than twenty-four hours to figure out a way to save herself and her family. But, how could she beat the mayor at his own twisted game?

At first, Luigi was skeptical when Rosalina told him about the hidden terms in the loan. It wasn't that he questioned the fact that it had happened. He just couldn't believe what Bowser was demanding. Either way, it's not like he had any choice if he wanted to make it through the winter with his family.

For the rest of the day, he paced the cottage muttering in despair. Peach put a hand on her husband's shoulder, trying to be strong for the both of them. "Don't worry, dear. I'm sure we'll think of something."

But, Rosalina wasn't so sure. None of them were.

By the time evening rolled around, the dread in Rosalina's stomach only worsened. Bowser's 'game' would take place the following morning, and she and her family couldn't afford to lose.

That night, she tossed and turned in bed. Luma snuggled up close to her, but even the star child's warmth couldn't make her feel better. _If only the villagers knew what Bowser was up to_ …

Before any of them knew it, the sun rose above the mountains, fending off what little sleep the family had gotten. Then, the sound they had been dreading rang out from the village square. The bell that called the villagers together for their bimonthly meetings now tolled for a different purpose.

Peach had tried to get Rosalina to eat something, but her stomach felt too upset to eat, and the little bread she managed to gulp down tasted like sawdust. Hearts heavy, they set out for the village

All too soon, they reached the square, which was bustling with activity. Most of the village had already gathered, curious as to what the fuss was about. Mayor Bowser stood in plain view, ready it seemed, to address the crowd.

Rosalina felt a knot of dread in her stomach. She scanned the crowd for Corrin, but to her dismay the blacksmith's apprentice was nowhere to be found.

"Attention." Everyone fell quiet at Mayor Bowser's voice. "I suppose you're all wondering why I've asked you here so suddenly," The Koopa King gushed with fake sympathy, as if he understood their busy lives and was sorry for interrupting them. "I'm sure you've all heard of the Mario family's plight."

Luigi hid his face in his hands, and Rosalina could feel the heat creeping up her cheeks. She clenched her fists tighter with every word.

"I, your generous mayor, have heard their cries for help and, out of the goodness of my heart, have given them a chance for a fresh start." He proceeded to explain how Luigi had come to him for a loan and how he, overcome with compassion, couldn't refuse his poor family their means of survival that he -and only he- could deliver. "Of course, I couldn't just give this money away for free. Oh, no. What kind of town would I be running then?"

Some of the villagers shuffled uncomfortably and muttered under their breaths.

"I'm not heartless, so I've decided to give the lovely Rosalina a chance to lavish her family in wealth and riches," Bowser said. "Rosalina, come on down!"

Luigi and Peach traded worried glances, and Luma huddled close to Rosalina's chest as if to say 'Don't go, Mama!'

But, she had to go. If she didn't, she was pretty sure Bowser would send his servants for her, and that would mean trouble.

With a deep breath, Rosalina walked towards the middle of the square. The villagers parted respectfully to let her pass, murmuring words of encouragement. 'Good luck,' 'You've got this!' 'You'll do great!'

Rosalina sighed. She could feel all their eyes drilling into her. _If only they knew._

When she reached Bowser, the Mayor flashed a malevolent smile her way before speaking to the townspeople. "She and I will play a game, and if she wins, she'll have my loan." He waved an envelope stamped with a gold seal in the air.

"Yeah? And what happens if she loses?" Ike asked, followed by a spattering of murmurs from the crowd.

Bowser's fake winning smile slipped for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "Well, then, that would be most unfortunate," he said. "As you would probably guess, she wouldn't get the loan."

It didn't escape Rosalina's attention that he conveniently forgot to mention that she'd be forced into marriage, but the rest of the village seemed satisfied for now.

"Shall we begin?" Bowser pulled out a small brown sack and held it up for everyone to see. "Now, in this bag, there is one white stone and one black stone, one white and one black, mind you. Rosalina will draw one, and if she picks the white stone, that loan will be hers! But, if she picks the black stone, well..."

'Well' was right. What was Rosalina to do? She couldn't very well call out the mayor in front of the whole village. Who would believe her? Or rather, who would be in a position to do anything to help her? It wasn't just her family who needed the money. All of the village depended on the Mayor and his wealth for support. They wouldn't dare betray him, and Bowser probably knew it.

Bowser shook the bag lightly in front of her. "Well, go on. Pick one," he said with a wink. "The crowd's waiting, and so's your family."

Rosalina kept her face a mask of calm, though inside, she was fuming, not to mention scared out of her mind. She couldn't think straight. It was as if the sack held a snake instead of two rocks.

Numbly, she reached into the bag and drew out one of the cold stones. It was amazing how well the object in her fist resembled the heart of the monster standing in front of her.

"All right! Now show the people what you've drawn!" Bowser proclaimed as if he were a game show announcer.

But, Rosalina didn't want to open her hand. In fact, she wanted to throw the rock in Bowser's face and run, but she restrained herself. There had to be another way.

"Show us which stone you've drawn," Bowser said, a touch more impatiently, his eyes gleaming with a hunger for victory.

Rosalina merely stood there and clenched her fist tighter, blinking away tears. The townspeople were growing restless, and the girl couldn't stall forever... could she?

"Heh heh. Poor girl. She must be nervous," Bowser assured the townspeople, but then he leaned close to her and all traces of the mock-friendliness vanished from his voice as he hissed in her ear. "Show them what you've drawn! Now! Or I'll ensure you never see that little star of yours again!'

Rosalina clenched her teeth, and the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. "Why don't you show them what's in the bag?" For a moment, she was shocked at her own daring, then, sparks of an idea formed in her mind and she squared her shoulders and stared the Mayor down. "If you have any honor as the Mayor of this town, show these good people what's in the bag!"

The girl's voice carried through the square, and a few people muttered to one another, then cries rose over the murmurs of the crowd.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Zelda asked.

"Yeah, show us, Bowser!" Cloud said.

Bowser's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, and his eyes widened. This wasn't part of his plan! But, the villagers were getting impatient. He had to do something to appease them, Grudgingly, he lifted the sack and dumped its contents on the ground.

A single black stone fell out.

"Hey! The stone in the bag! It's black!" Zelda said.

"That means Rosalina got the white one!" Ike reasoned.

"She gets the loan!" Ness cheered.

Suddenly, a tall figure raced through the crowd, and at once, Corrin stood at Rosalina's side. "Well, aren't you gonna give Rosalina's family their money?" he challenged, seemingly unafraid of what the mayor could do to him.

"Now wait just a minute!" Bowser cried. "Rosalina didn't- I mean I didn't- I don't have to give you a loan!"

Corrin was about to protest, but Rosalina stepped forward. She had enough of the Mayor terrorizing her family. She stooped down and picked up the black stone from the ground and held it next to the one she still clutched in her fist.

"You know. I sell things at the market. I can be pretty loud, and I'm sure the whole village would love to hear about this scheme of yours."

Now Bowser almost certainly knew that Rosalina had found out about the two black stones beforehand, but Rosalina didn't care. "Thank you," she said, taking the envelope from Bowser's outstretched hand. She hoped the mayor learned a lesson from all this, but she doubted it.

With trembling fingers, she fumbled as she tried to break the envelope's seal, so Corrin gave her a hand. There was the note for five thousand Coins.

Rosalina smiled for the first time that day. Now her family could buy all the milk, eggs, and bread they wanted, not to mention butter and cheese, and even jam and apricot flavored tea. They were set for at least a few seasons.

"Mother! Father! I won!" she exclaimed with relief, running into her parents waiting arms.

Peach scooped her daughter into a hug. "I knew you could do it, dearest," she said.

Luigi nodded, and with a quavering hand, accepted the envelope Rosalina held out to him. "This definitely calls for a celebration!"

Rosalina laughed as Luma danced joyfully around her head. This had to be the happiest day of her life.

Little did she know it was about to get better.

While peach and Luigi went to the bank to collect their money, Rosalina and Corrin ventured to the cornfield on the outskirts of town. Luma circled around them, eager to revisit the place where they had first met.

"So, why'd you want to come here so suddenly, Corrin?" Rosalina asked, picking one of the wild flowers that bloomed at her feet.

"Oh, you know, it's... just so nice here," Corrin said, fidgeting with something in his pocket. He had been doing that a lot lately.

But, Rosalina hadn't noticed her friend's actions. She had another question on her mind. "You think the village'll be okay?" she asked, twisting a lock of blond hair between her fingers. "What if Bowser tries anything else?"

"Aw, don't worry about that," Corrin said. "The people here are pretty tough. We'll handle whatever the mayor and his goons throw at us."

The pair sat in the cool grass and enjoyed the sun and the breeze for a while. Luma darted between rows of newly-ripened corn, popping up once in a while as a sort of game.

"You were right. It is pretty nice here," Rosalina said, breathing in the aroma of her flower.

"Uh, well... There's actually another reason why I brought you here," Corrin said, his face reddening as he pulled something from his pocket. "I-I was meaning to... ask you this earlier, but then all this loan business happened and- I... wanted to give you something, too, b-but..."

The farmer's daughter watched him intently, then she saw the little box he held out to her and her heart fluttered in her chest.

Tentatively, she reached out and lifted the lid. Inside was a simple silver ring set with a glimmering star-shaped sapphire. "Wh-What's the occasion?" she asked nervously. It wasn't an engagement ring. She knew that much.

"D-Do you... like it? I made it for you," Corrin stammered out. "It's a promise ring. I just... wanted to let you know that whatever happens I hope we can be friends, and-."

"Corrin! It's lovely!" Rosalina exclaimed.

Corrin's smile widened. "Oh, good! Because I-I had a question, and I'll understand if you... don't want to, b-but I was wondering-," The blacksmith apprentice paused for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Rosalina, would you... go on a date with me? I was thinking we could have a picnic right here if you wanted..."

At that moment, Rosalina's heart melted. Corrin was her dearest friend, and this time, she made her choice freely. "Yes!" she answered, slipping Corrin's ring onto her finger. She then leaned closer and wrapped her arms around him in a tender embrace. "Yes I will."

.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading. This one took on a life of its own, and I ended up writing way more than I expected.**


	13. The Dark Coin

**A/N: Another brain teaser here for you! Hopefully it's okay. The fact that I got this written at all is a miracle. Writers block hit me hard. This one is from Ted-Ed  
**

 **So, there was a little mishap with chapter 12, Stones in a Bag, where a chunk of the story was cut off. I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner, but I've fixed it if you wanted to go back and take a look. After you read this chapter, though. :) Anyway, enjoy!**

.

The Dark Coin

They heard the travelers' tales. They followed the crumbling maps. And now, after a long and dangerous quest, Meta Knight and King Dedede had entered the dreaded Nightmare's castle. The only problem was they had entered the dungeon.

It wasn't all bad. A mound of ancient Stygian coins glistened in the torchlight, and the knight and king stared at the hoard of coveted riches with admiration. But, the eccentric wizard guarding the treasure didn't get the same treatment. Especially after his most recent statement.

"What do ya mean ya won't let us leave?" Dedede raged. "You're gonna keep us locked up here? That's not fair!"

Meta Knight wisely kept silent. He knew the king had a short temper, and he'd rather not see it turned on him.

Nightmare's laughter echoed through the circular, stone room, seeming to come from an endless void. "Yes. You may keep all of my fabulous treasure, but first, some fun. You may not leave here unless you pass my test."

Meta Knight's hand flew to his sword, then he thought better of it and drew back. Even if he wanted to fight, he knew Galaxia would be no match for Nightmare's power. Not alone. "What kind of test?" he asked suspiciously.

Nightmare's eyes narrowed with pleasure and his mouth curled into an unpleasant smile. "it's quite simple actually." He picked up one of the coins beneath him and flipped it in the air. "Both faces of each coin bare the legendary Crest of Smash, one in silver, one in gold, and all you have to do is separate them into two piles so that each has the same number of coins facing silver side up."

King Dedede blinked in confusion. "Is that all?" he asked, his confidence growing. "That'll be a piece o' cake!" he then rounded on Meta Knight. "Well, get to it! I don't wanna spend all day in here!"

The warrior stepped forward and was about to start separating the coins when he caught a glimpse of Nightmare.

The wizard threw his bony arms out wide, and his purple robes billowed out in all directions. A vapor of darkness spread from Nightmare's body and all the torches in the room were snuffed out, plunging the king and his knight into total blackness.

"Hey! Where'd the lights go?" Dedede demanded.

"Good luck," an evil voice taunted, then faded away. The wizard was gone.

Gripped with true terror, Dedede shook from head to toe. "Help!" he screamed. He ran to the door and pounded it with his mallet, but though the giant wooden hammer was mechanized, it didn't make a dent in the stone. "What're we gonna do?" he whaled.

"We're going to escape," Meta Knight said in an effort to calm His Majesty. He had to make sure none of the coins were disturbed so he could solve Nightmare's riddle. Though the wizard had vanished in the darkness, Meta Knight could feel his presence. He knew Nightmare was still watching.

The king rushed to Meta Knight, having heard his voice in the dark. "You'd better get us out of here! I want that treasure, ya hear?"

"As you wish, Sire," the warrior answered calmly. He wanted those coins as much as the king did, but for entirely different reasons. For one, he had a ship to finish. And two, he had a sinking feeling that if the king got all that treasure, it would never see the light of day again once it was locked in his vault.

Meta Knight had to make sure he got at least part of the coin stash, but he'd worry about how to do that later. He had to ensure they'd make it out of Nightmare's clutches first.

The warrior fingered the cold, untarnished metal of one of the coins. There were hundreds in front of him, and each one felt the same on both sides. He racked his brain, trying to remember where the silver coins were, but it was hopeless. He had lost track.

But, he did know one thing for certain.

When there was still light, he counted exactly twenty coins silver-side-up in the pile, but he wasn't sure how that information could help him now.

Seconds past, but they felt like minutes. The cold darkness seemed to constrict around the warrior's heart like iron bands. Was it truly hopeless? What could he do? Were he and the king doomed to remain in the dungeon with their newfound treasure forever?

.

"That's it!" Meta Knight was yanked from his thoughts by the king's voice. "I knew coming here was a bad idea! It's all your fault!"

Dedede rushed forward and was about to swing his hammer at both his servant and the offending pile of treasure.

"No!" Meta Knight grabbed the king's hammer before it could scatter the coins. He just realized there was a surprisingly easy solution. "I have the answer."

"You do?" the king asked. "Well why didn't ya say so? Get us out of here!"

The warrior was relieved for now. He wasn't sure how long the king's cooperation would last, so he had to work fast.

A few tiny clinks sounded as he carefully moved aside twenty coins one by one. It didn't matter which ones. Any of them would do.

The king waited in silence as Meta Knight worked, but after about ten seconds, his patience had reached its end. "Well, don't leave me in the dark here! What are you doing?"

"What must be done," Meta Knight answered cryptically, trying not to lose his concentration.

"I don't get it!" the king waled. "You better explain yourself!"

The star warrior stopped what he was doing and slowly turned to face the king. "I'll tell you, but first we have some business to discuss."

"I'm not discussin' anything with ya!" Dedede thundered. "No way! Ya can't make me!"

"Then you'll never make it out of here," Meta Knight answered.

That changed the king's mind. "...Fine," he muttered. "What do ya want?"

"I want the twenty coins I've set aside here." Meta Knight said. "There are hundreds of coins remaining, and you can have them all. I only want these."

"No way! You're not getting any of _my_ treasure!"

Meta Knight was expecting this, and was already prepared with a response of his own. "If I stop working, we don't get out of here."

Dedede gulped. He didn't much care if Meta Knight stayed locked up, but he wanted to make it out of here with his wealth. And twenty coins was nothing compared to the hundreds he'd be getting. Surely it was worth it to escape. And besides, he could always have his Waddle Dees steal them back anyway.

"All right! All right! Now get us out of here!" the king said, almost pleadingly.

"Excellent." Meta Knight nodded. He was quite pleased with how things turned out. After all, even twenty of those ancient coins, if sold to the right person, would earn him the funds he needed. And if the king did try anything, which he was prone to do, Meta Knight could call on the other star warriors for assistance if necessary.

He set aside the last few coins and stepped back. It was too dark to check his work, but he could at least answer the king's previous inquiry. "As Nightmare said, the solution was quite simple. I've merely flipped each coin over."

Dedede's mouth dropped in shock. "Your helmet must be on too tight. You're still making no sense! You don't even know how many coins there are!"

The star warrior shook his head, then proceeded to explain. "It doesn't matter how many coins we've started with. There were twenty coins silver-side-up in the stash, so I set twenty coins aside."

The king nodded. "Uh-huh?"

"I don't know how many of the silver-side coins I got in this pile, but say there are seven. That leaves thirteen in the original pile."

"Okay."

"It also means there are thirteen coins facing gold side up in the new pile. Flip all the coins in the new pile over, and you have seven gold facing coins, and thirteen silver to match the ones in the original pile. And that works no matter how many silver side coins you begin with."

"...You lost me," Dedede said, eyes half glazed over.

Meta Knight let out an exasperated sigh. He was about to run through it again for the king, but thankfully at that moment, the door to the dungeon swung open, and freedom's light shone in.

The star warrior smiled beneath his helmet. His hard work had paid off.

"Hey! What're we doing standing around here? Let's go!" Dedede cried.

They gathered up all of the Smash Coins -Meta Knight made sure to collect his twenty- and hurried away before Nightmare had a chance to change his mind.

"Well, that was a close one," Dedede remarked, hugging a bulging sack of treasure to his chest.

"Indeed," Meta Knight replied, leading the way back to the castle in Dream Land. At the next crossroads, he flipped one of his hard-earned coins to determine the way to his next adventure.

 **.**

A/N: Plenty more teasers where those came from. I just don't know when they'll be out. Anyway, I hope you enjoy future chapters.


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